Secession
by asashouryuu
Summary: When loyalty and service pull them towards opposite directions, which bonds will Sasuke and Naruto sever? SasuNaru
1. Prelude

Disclaimer: All Naruto characters belong to Kishimoto.

Warning: SasuNaru, OOC and self-betaread (If someone wants to betaread, we will be happy).

Author's notes: Out of excitement that XKunoichiofthePaintbrushX will come to Japan, she and I ended collaborating for another fic after discussing stuffs about Naruto Manga chapter 399. This story plot will follow as much as possible, the plot of Naruto manga but this doesn't mean we won't twist the plot as we see it fit for our story.

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**Chapter Title: Prelude**

Naruto's eyes widened while his vision narrowed, admitting only Tsunade's cool face. His heart felt like it stopped beating. He felt his sense of hearing steadily fading away. He could only hear his heart beating slowly... painfully. Wait. Why was it still beating?

_A corpse was found yesterday, burnt and mangled and a team of expert medicnin confirmed it as the body of Uchiha Sasuke._

"You're kidding, right?" Naruto quietly asked. "He can't just die! Sasuke is invincible!" He could believe and accept anything but that because Sasuke would never lose to anyone, not even to himself. He knew Sasuke's burning spirit and experienced firsthand Sasuke's passion to win.

Sakura's lips trembled while she hugged herself as if she could stop her body from trembling. She looked at Naruto who was on the verge of hysterics. No, she couldn't comfort him especially when she needed to be comforted. Sasuke didn't deserve such a brutal kind of death, even if he had hurt the original Kakashi team.

"It could be a fake corpse," Naruto continued.

Tsunade shook her head. "I led the team, Naruto, and despite the state of the corpse, the jaw structure was similar to all Uchiha's and it contained chemicals Orochimaru concocted. It's him."

Naruto opened his mouth then closed it when an idea came to him. He toyed with the idea at first before grimly, he demanded, "Show it to me."

Tsunade hesitated, but seeing the desperate and pleading look of Team Seven, she acquiesced and took them to the laboratory where Sasuke's corpse was placed for further investigation on Orochimaru's activities.

"Prepare yourselves," Tsunade warned them before signaling an on-duty medicnin to pull the tray.

Team Seven surrounded the tray and Kakashi carefully lifted the sheet covering Sasuke's corpse. Sai gasped. Sakura pushed her hands to her mouth when bile rose up within her. Only a scowl marred Kakashi's cool look.

They knew it was burnt. They knew it was mangled. However, none of them expected to see Sasuke beyond recognition or expected to see Sasuke without eyes.

"A bounty hunter seemed to have found him ahead," Tsunade explained. "The way his eyes were plucked shows the handiwork of a bounty hunter."

They all looked up when Naruto banged his fists on the table before he left, running.

Naruto ran through what seemed like an endless hallway before stumbling outside. He fell on his knees and screamed, tears cascading on his cheeks. Tilting his head, he shouted, "DAMN YOU!" He leaned forward on his arms and muttered, "Why did you have to die like that? Why did you have to go ahead of me? How can I avenge you? Bastard. Bastard. BASTARD. ASSHOLE!! ASSHOLE..." His mind barely registered that somebody pulled him to his feet and was embracing him in comfort, but it wasn't enough. It would never be enough.

"Breathe, Naruto, just breathe," a very grim and solemn Kakashi murmured comfortingly while his hand rubbed the lad's back. While trying to comfort the blond, Kakashi quietly wondered why it had come to this. Was his team doomed from the start?

The next day, Naruto's grief turned to anger when he had learned that Sasuke Uchiha wasn't to be given a burial because of his status. To him, it was inhumane. They had no right to deprive Sasuke because of what he did. Sasuke hadn't hurt or killed anyone from Konoha so why would they treat him as if his friend was the worst person imaginable? Without hesitation, he marched towards the conference room where he was told the council was.

The two guards on duty immediately stood between Naruto and the door.

"A session is going on," one of them stated.

Naruto growled and raised slitted blue eyes that had flecks of red. "Move," he said.

"Leave, you insolent-"

"I told you to move!"

The occupants of the room got annoyed at being disturbed by the noise outside.

One man sighed. "Who is the idiot-" He was cut off when Naruto burst into the room, the guards lying unconscious behind him.

Tsunade half-rose from her seat in surprise, "Naruto!"

With his fists trembling by his side, Naruto asked, "Why? Why are you depriving him from having a proper burial?"

"Have you forgotten that he was a traitor to this village, Uzumaki?" a female councilor asked.

"I'm not asking you to have his name written in stone! All I ask is a burial for him. Is that too much?"

A tensed silence followed Naruto's outburst and was broken when another councilor sternly stated, "The council's decision is irrevocable."

"I don't care," Naruto muttered under his breath. He was disgusted with these people who knew nothing about friendship and loyalty.

"Pardon?"

Naruto held his chin up and with eyes resolute, glowered at everyone. When he spoke, his tone was harsh and his voice rang clearly. "I don't care what you or anyone in this village think of him. Sasuke was my comrade, my friend... my brother. I don't care if I get punished, put under house arrest or have my arms cut off. I will absolutely give him a burial and nobody," At this, his eyes darkened, "nobody can stop me." With that said, he left.

Few councilors gave Tsunade a look of displeasure.

"Your subordinates lack discipline, Tsunade-hime."

"That brat committed violations."

Before Tsunade could cover up for Naruto, Homura spoke, "Give the boy some slack. He just lost one of his dearest persons."

At the Uchiha compound and at the clan's grave, Naruto dug a small grave near Sasuke's parents. He dug using his hands, not caring about the scratches and wounds. After all, the wounds were nothing compared to what Sasuke had suffered. If only he was with him...

'Would you be able to change the outcome?' a tiny voice asked him.

He didn't know if he could change the outcome, but even if he couldn't, at least, Sasuke wouldn't have to die alone. He would have died with Sasuke... for Sasuke.

When the hole was deep enough, he took out Sasuke's hitai-ate - the only momento he had of his friend and the only thing that could substitute Sasuke's corpse. He stared at the headband and gripped it for quite some time before he carefully placed it on the earth. His sobs became louder when he covered Sasuke's hitai-ate with the soil he had dug up just moments before. Satisfied with his work, he placed a bouquet of white flowers on the mound.

"Sasuke..."

His eyes widened a miniscule when a single white flower was placed beside his bouquet. He whipped his head to the side and found Iruka wearing black.

"Iruka-sensei." Something made him look over his shoulder and was shocked to find Sakura, Sai, Kakashi, Konohamaru, Moegi, Udon, Shizune, Neji, Tenten, Lee, Gai-sensei, the rest of the rookie nine and Kurenai-sensei. Everybody was donned in black and each carrying a single white flower.

For Sasuke.

Naruto's tears fell quicker than the rain on that day.

_Goodnight, Sasuke._

**TBC**

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Author's notes: In case you'll end up wondering in the next few chapters, the reason why we used musical terms for our chapter titles was because we thought it would be nice. Of course, we just didn't select them randomly. We have to make sure that the musical term would fit the general atmosphere of each chapter. In any case, in this fic too, yoroshiku onegaishimasu.


	2. A Prima Vista

**SasuNaru yaoi, OOC and unbeta-read**

**Author's notes:** While reading Chapter 402 especially the Itachi-Naruto conversation, I was so happy to know that this fic is on the same track as the manga. We're so lucky.

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**Title: A Prima Vista**

Tsunade sighed the second her gaze fell on Naruto. Even after three weeks, the lad still continued to dress in black clothes as he continued mourning for someone who thought so little of him. Naruto hadn't been like this when Sandaime and Jiraiya died and she wondered where his resilience went.

She clucked her tongue. Despite the frown on her face, her voice held warmth and gentleness when she said, "Look, Naruto, there is a time of mourning and a time to move on." Naruto shifted his gaze downward and focused it on a document tray beside her desk. "I'm sure that if Sasuke ever saw you like this, he'd be calling you a loser." Seeing that it didn't garner a response, much less a reaction, Tsunade decided to just proceed to the reason why she called Naruto to her office in the first place. She placed a scroll across her table.

"A team sent on a long-term mission had gotten hold about talks of the annihilation of Konoha. A week ago, they managed to confirm that this isn't a rumor and that there really is a plot against Konoha." In a commanding voice, she continued, "Uzumaki Naruto, you are hereby sent on a mission to find the conspirators and eliminate them at all cost." Tsunade didn't expect the lad to accept the mission, so it had been a slight surprise when Naruto did.

Keeping the smile from her face, she said, "Read the scroll first and you're expected to leave today."

"Roger that," Naruto replied. He was about to step out from the room when his superior's voice stopped him, "Be careful."

"Sure," he quietly replied.

Tsunade let out a deep sigh the moment the door closed.

"Tsunade-sama, is it okay to send him on such a mission?" Shizune asked worriedly. "It looks like that he isn't stable enough to do this kind of mission. It might put his life in danger."

"Konoha had been Sasuke's home. If Naruto stays here, he won't be able to get over his friend's death," Tsunade replied. She slightly doubted her decision, but she hoped with this plan, she would be able to kill two birds with one stone.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

The first place Naruto went to investigate was a small village near Sound where according to his mission scroll, the rumor had been confirmed. Without further ado, Naruto started snooping around. However, much to his disappointment, what he had gotten hold of was no different from what was written on the scroll, but that meant that he was on the right track.

One day, after almost three months since he had received his mission, he finally found a new piece of information that led him to another village - something which didn't happen once. Sometimes, he'd stay in a town for a maximum of a month or a minimum of three weeks before he left for another village.

Of course, it wasn't always that things went smoothly or went according to his plan. There were times when he would get frustrated and times when he would come to suspect that he was being led on a wild goose chase. Oftentimes, he would end up spending what little money he had for getting information which thankfully would lead him somewhere. Seldom, he was forced to threaten or beat up the person just to have them spill the beans.

Naturally, his weekly mission reports didn't include what he underwent and what he did to attain information. His reports were brief and concise. Just as Tsunade had wanted.

After four and a half months, for the first time, Naruto had two leads - both of them pointing to a different location.

He was currently in his cramped room he rented while looking at his map. He shifted in his position, careful not to move his sprained arm- the result of a ring fight he won just to get such valuable information. Although Kyuubi was already healing it, pain still shot out at the slightest movement.

Naruto studied the map. He noted the distance between his next two destinations and his current location. Taking into consideration that the demon country was closer, he decided to go there first. He quickly wrote a report to Tsunade, summoned and asked Gamakichi to deliver before he started packing.

By daybreak, Naruto was already on his way to the Demon country.

"Thanks for the food," Naruto called out over his shoulder to the ramen shop owner while he brushed past the shop's noren. He stood outside and patted his stomach. It was good to be the last customer. He gazed up at the sky, silently admiring the stars. Today, he concluded, hadn't been productive information-gathering wise, but he knew from experience that first days were always like that. Regardless how hard he asked around, he'd be empty-handed. He sighed, inserted his hands in his pockets and walked. Because he was already exhausted and the streets were empty, he walked without paying much attention.

He took a sharp turn and when he bumped into someone, he spoke first before he lifted his eyes.

"Watch where y-" His annoyed tone gave way to surprise as his eyes lifted to meet familiar black orbs that appeared to see right through him. "S-Sa...suke?!" He gulped, unable to understand why he was there. He was supposed to be dead. If he was supposed to be a ghost, he should look paler than he would when he was alive. If he was just an illusion, he shouldn't be staring at him as if he too was surprised to bump into him. He took a step backward and ended up losing his balance, falling to the ground on his butt. He continued staring at Sasuke who disappeared into dark flames and even when his supposedly dead friend was gone, he continued staring, unable to move... refusing to move. Still gripping with the possibility that Sasuke was alive. Oh! The hope.

By the time the sunlight softly colored the edges of the mountains, Naruto finally snapped out from his stupor and it was with the thought that Sasuke, his dearest friend was still alive. Sasuke was alive and his heart soared. Sasuke was not dead and he was here. His mouth split into a grin, realizing how just lucky he was. He stood up, all fired up to find his friend and take him to Konoha... their home.

Without sleep, he started asking around. Not about the information he should've been gathering for his mission, which he seemed to have momentarily forgotten, but about his missing friend. Because it was still early morning, there were only few people whom he could ask. His desperation in finding Sasuke ate whatever hesitation he had and he shouted Sasuke's name while running through the streets.

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted once more, his voice ringing clear throughout the streets.

"Keep your voice down!" A woman, leaning over the window, shouted back. "It's too early in the morning!" She added while furiously waving an arm at the blond who ignored her. She cursed under her breath while straightening. She looked over her shoulder and smiled at the occupant of the room. "Kids, these days! It's nice to know there's still a youth like you, Uchiha-san," she commented.

Sasuke just nodded and handed to her the weekly payment of the room he was renting. "If I'm going to stay for another week, I'll inform you on Thursday."

The woman smiled and excused herself. Sasuke looked outside through the window and sighed. Naruto was bringing trouble. 'No,' Sasuke silently thought to himself, 'Naruto is trouble.'

Naruto splashed water at his face to get rid of his exhaustion. It hadn't been easy running around and asking for a person who obviously didn't want to be found. Stupid Sasuke. If he thought he would give up looking for him, then he would be very disappointed. He had a lot of questions to ask him and he would never stop unless he got the answers he was looking for. He looked to the west. The sun was halfway down and there was still no proof of Sasuke's evidence. He was tired. He admitted that, but he couldn't stop now. He none-too-gently patted his cheeks, stretched his body before resuming his search.

"Like I said, he has this duck-butt hairstyle," Naruto explained to a hostess who was taking a break. "If you're viewing from behind, it's like has a duck on top of his head. He's arrogant. He talks in monotone voice and using monotonous words."

"Like I said, boy," she paused to take a drag of her cigarette. "I'd seen him only once. I bumped into him and offered him some services but, he just glared at me like I'm the dirt at the bottom of his sandals." She scowled while remembering that moment. "And I don't care if he's Sasuke or Keisuke or something," she continued while dismissively waving her hand. "As much as I want to help you, I can't and my break is over." She gave him a smile. "Thanks for the drink and smile." Saying that, she leaned over and suddenly pressed a quick kiss on Naruto's forehead making Naruto stutter and blush. She chuckled and paused, "If you need anything other than your friend's whereabouts, you'll know where to find me." With a sensual wave of her hand, she disappeared into the crowd.

Naruto sighed and was about to leave when a hand grabbed his wrist and he heard a deep voice that said, "Your friend's name is Sasuke, no?" Naruto looked at the man and then nodded. "What do you know about him?"

"I know he arrived here a week ago," the man said, his left pointer finger tracing the rim of his empty glass.

"And?" Naruto who immediately seated himself across the man, leaned over the table, asked.

The man snorted. "Are you new to this business of information sharing, boy?" He asked, eyes suddenly guarded. "People in this business called it Equivalent trade. We'll give you the information you need and you give us what we want. In my case, money." He openly studied the boy who remained quiet and looking speculative.

Naruto mentally sighed because he was financially tight right now. In fact, he probably need to skip few meals before he would receive the money Tsunade sent to him. However, he couldn't let this opportunity pass him by. "Look, mister. I swear on my honor, that I'll pay you once I received my money. I'm broke, you see."

"I want that necklace," he said, pointing at it. A tanned hand immediately wrapped around the pendant, giving the man an idea how important this particular necklace was to the boy.

"I can't give it to you," Naruto said. He didn't have to think about this decision. Not only was it given to him by Tsunade, but it also was a means to control Kyuubi when things would go out of control.

"Then our talk is over," the man replied and stood up. He had only taken two steps when Naruto grabbed his arm. "Wait, mister, don't go yet," he pleaded. "I need to find Sasuke..."

The man growled and swung his captured arm, sending Naruto few meters away and to hit against the wall. Because moments like these seemed to happen often in this particular area, none of the patrons paid attention. They just moved to get out from what they assumed to be a full-blown fight.

Naruto stood up and while pretending to take his time dusting himself, he was deciding what to do. He didn't have money, but that didn't mean he wouldn't pay. It just meant that the payment would be delayed. He couldn't let the man go because he didn't know when he'd be able to find another lead. He ran after the man who immediately noticed him and swung his fist. By instinct, Naruto ducked then blocked another punch. "I'm going to pay once I have it, but I need the information you have right now!"

The man looked at the persistent blond. He didn't want a late payment, because truth to be told, he was just trying to swindle the blond using the information he picked up from the streets. He didn't know Sasuke Uchiha and he was lying when he said that Sasuke arrived a week ago. However, telling this to the boy... He mentally sighed. The blond wouldn't believe him. What trouble did he get himself into? He gave another attack hoping that he would knock the blond unconscious and make his escape.

Naruto huffed. He finally made his decision. He just had to beat the information out from the man. He held his ground and returned the punch, taking the man by surprise. Sending the man crashing through a table of inhibited hotheaded guys wasn't part of his plan. Especially when said hotheaded guys started lunging themselves towards him.

Great. Just great.

He ducked, leaned to the right, leapt, flipped back and balanced on the top of the back of chair while looking for his lead. The man was crawling towards the door. "Hey, mister!" He shouted over the din that had gripped this den of worldly pleasures. He did an acrobatic move, leapt from table to table and threw himself the rest of the way and ended up landing on the man. That wasn't exactly his plan, but he achieved his goal, so it didn't matter. "Please, I need to find him."

"Get off!" The older male shouted over and over again while he persistently bucked against the blond to knock him over.

Naruto was confused when he felt himself being lifted. He looked over his shoulder and his eyes widened upon seeing the muscled man who was lifting him up like it took no effort at all. He struggled. He flailed his arms and legs while discouraging himself to use any ninjutsu. It wasn't the time or the place. Besides, these guys were just ordinary citizens... crazy citizens.

A cry slipped past his lips when he found himself sailing through the air and through the bar's swinging doors. He landed gracelessly on the ground, groaning. Dizzily, he pushed himself up on his elbows and shook his head to clear his mind. He glared at the men standing by the door. Who was he kidding anyway? These guys were more than crazy, but he would never lose to them, not when Sasuke...

He lunged towards them, fangs bared and his battle cry echoed. He swung his fists only to be caught before he could deliver a strike.

"That's enough, dobe," he heard that longed-for voice say as the hand that firmly grasped his fist tightened his hold. He whipped his head and just as he thought, it was nobody else but- "Sasuke?" He looked at his opponents and strangely, he felt emboldened. It would be easier with Sasuke around. Defeating these guys wouldn't even take a minute now.

His opponents stepped forward and seeing the smirk that made its presence knowns on the blond's lips, Sasuke looked at the hotheaded patrons in the bar and in a cold biting voice, he growled, "That's enough."

Naruto immediately nodded while slipping his fist free from its prison. He took on his stance and shouted, "Yeah, bring it on, bastards!" Such challenge provoked the other party.

Sasuke looked at Naruto and asked, "Ready, dobe?"

He felt his spirit soar. This wasn't one of his dreams nor one of his imaginations. He missed those words spoken with confidence that bordered near arrogance. Hell, he missed that arrogance. Unable to fight back the smirk from his face, he replied, "I was born ready, bastard."

Once again, he felt Sasuke's hand and this time, it was gripping his left wrist and the next thing he knew, Sasuke was dragging him away from his opponents. Sasuke... They were running away.

WHAT?!

Wide-eyed, he looked at Sasuke and shouted, "Why the hell are we running away?"

"Because we can," Sasuke answered back calmly.

"Have you lost your mind? We can defeat them!" He looked behind them and saw his opponents chasing after them. He planted his feet on the ground, indirectly telling Sasuke that he wanted to finish the fight, but Sasuke harshly tightened his grip and continued pulling him along.

"You're the one who's crazy! Fighting won't solve anything."

Naruto stared at his friend. What was wrong with him? The Sasuke he knew would never run away from a fight. He was born to fight; to make his distinction known in the battlefield. He lived to fight, so why? He swatted Sasuke's hand away when they turned around the corner.

"Do you know what you are talking about?" Naruto demanded. He was panting more from his confusion and anger rather than the physical exertion he partook a second ago.

Sasuke cooly looked at him and retorted, "Do you know what you're fighting for?"

Naruto casted his eyes downward. Yes, he knew what he was fighting for. He hadn't forgotten about it, but that didn't mean he should run away from a fight. What honor was there in running away? "I know," he murmured. He looked up when he felt a flurry of movements beside him just in time to see Sasuke leaping over a wooden gate.

"H-hey, wait a minute. You-" he trailed off when Sasuke, who was standing on the shabby gate pointed something behind him. He followed that finger and found his opponents closing in on him.

"Have fun then, dobe," Sasuke said before he jumped from the gate and over to the other side.

"Sasuke!" Without further thinking, he quickly propelled himself into the air and leapt over the gates. So much for not running away, he rolled his eyes and he thought his embarrassment was over until, out of bad timing, the tip of his left sandal slight snagged an object protruding from one of the wooden boards, upsetting his balance.

_Shit!_, he thought. He readied his body for impact with the ground.

When he opened his eyes, he wasn't lying on the ground. In fact, he was standing. Standing and pressed close to Sasuke's warm body. His instant reaction was putting a distance between him and Sasuke. It was just so wrong.

Sasuke snorted. "I just saved your ass from a disgraceful fall, usuratonkachi," he stated. "Be grateful."

"It's your fault," Naruto murmured. "I had been looking for you the whole day."

"I know. I heard you calling my name and asking people around."

Naruto glared at him. "Then why didn't you respond?" he demanded. It was just so wrong to see Sasuke so indifferent, as if it didn't matter to him that someone was looking for him... someone from his hometown.

"I see no point." Sasuke sighed as he calmly looked at the hand that gripped his arm.

"Is everything pointless to you now?!"He had found him and yet it was still burning within him... this feeling of being left behind; of not having found his friend at all.

Sasuke shook tanned hand off and turned around. "As a reward," he said in a sarcasm-tinged voice, "I'll humor you, but I suggest that we shouldn't be standing here. Let's go to your place."

Although he was pleased to hear what Sasuke said, he didn't make any indication and just crossed his arms over his chest. "My place is far from here. Let's go to yours."

"After the noise you made this morning, my landlady won't be happy to have you near her place."

Naruto solved that problem by changing into another boy with sandy brown hair and reddish eyes. He also changed the color of his clothes from black and orange to blue and white. He cheekily grinned at Sasuke who rolled his eyes and started walking.

A few minutes later, Sasuke stood by the window of his room while Naruto settled on the edge of his bed, hands hanging between his legs.

Without further ado, Naruto asked what had been bugging him. "How are you still alive, Sasuke? A team found a corpse and identified it as yours."

Sasuke shrugged. Without taking his eyes from the sky outside, he said, "I planned it. I manipulated a dying man to perform Kabuto's and Orochimaru's forbidden techniques to make him look like any Uchiha. Then I left him as a prey for bounty hunters who did the rest of the job for me."

Naruto let out a shaky breath. Sasuke... Sasuke was cruel and manipulative. "Why go that far?"

"I want Konoha to think of me as dead so that I can start a new life."

"Why?" Naruto asked with his voice louder than normal. The moment Sasuke was defected was the moment he threw him and the village away. Yet, hearing him saying those words made his chest clench. It still hurt to be disregarded as someone unimportant. Why was it so easy for Sasuke to throw things away? Why was he capable of doing such cruel things?

Sasuke turned to him, eyes unconsciously pleading for Naruto to understand. "I'm tired of a shinobi's life. I want to live where things are less difficult."

Naruto swallowed the lump of tears that welled up in his throat. He didn't understand why he wanted to cry. Was it because of the way Sasuke looked? Or his words? Or because Sasuke left him for a new world? He let out a heavy sigh. "You've changed, Sasuke." There was pain and disappointment in his voice that made the other man flinch.

"You're right. The Sasuke you know is dead."

"You're wrong," Naruto said quietly then he repeated it again in a shout while he swung his right arm to make his point. "He's alive because I carry a part of him."

Sasuke snorted and looked away, finding that the fierce determination in those blues eyes made him feel weak. He remained quiet, preferring to take in the sight of the streets and the sky rather than his former friend. He didn't even notice that Naruto was standing beside him until a he felt a hand pressing against the area just above his beating heart. He whipped his head around and his eyes clashed against his friend's.

"I'm glad you're alive, Sasuke," Naruto said so softly that it made Sasuke's heart skip a beat. Staring into those endless pools of black, he continued, "And I'm glad I met you again." Slowly, a beautiful smile graced Naruto's lips.

Sasuke swallowed slowly before he slowly wrapped his long, pale fingers around a tanned wrist. Gently, he pulled that hand away from his chest and said, "I still haven't decided whether I should be happy to meet you again, dobe." His voice was laced with sarcasm, but that was because he felt vulnerable under that piercing blue gaze that seemed to have a meaning he didn't understand. He gasped in pain when an elbow slammed into his abdomen.

"That was for making me cry," a growling Naruto told him. He grabbed a flying fist and glared.

"It isn't my fault that you're such a crybaby, dobe."

Naruto kicked Sasuke's shin hard. "That was for making my hands bleed."

A smirking Sasuke stepped onto Naruto's toes, keeping them from moving. "It's not my fault that you're careless."

"Asshole, I'm not gonna cry again or spare any effort when you die for real," the blonde growled. Unable to move his hands and his feet, he did the only thing he could. He slammed his head against Sasuke's.

Despite the white pain that exploded behind his eyelids, Sasuke cursed and blindly moved to throw the stupid blonde across the room, unfortunately, Naruto had managed to escape from his hold and was now lying on his bed. Pissed off beyond reason, Sasuke marched to his bed and found Naruto sleeping. Sleeping? He rolled his eyes. As if, he would fall for that.

Without taking his eyes off from his prey, he pulled his fist and brought it down. When Naruto didn't move and his breathing pattern remained even, Sasuke relaxed his fist. The idiot was indeed sleeping. He let out an irritated sigh. What kind of person who suddenly fell asleep the second his body hit a bed? He glanced at the blonde. An idiot.

Sasuke should wake him up and tell him to go home, but the exhaustion written on the tanned face made him change his mind. While Naruto was sleeping, Sasuke sat on a chair and watched his friend - the fierce defender of Konoha. He snorted at that thought.

It wasn't long until Naruto's presence began to awaken Sasuke's memories of Konoha. Especially the scent of leaves after the rain. Those memories then shifted to darker thoughts and to snippets of Madara's words that still echoed within him.

_He loved the village not wrapped up in clan differences. The village elders used that to their advantage._

Sasuke knew how protective Naruto was of Konoha. He also knew how far Naruto would go for him and he could use that to his advantage. Just as the elders took advantage of Itachi's commitment to the village. Indeed, he could. Let the village elders have a taste of their own medicine.

_...Itachi entered the black ops as a spy on your father's orders... He was what they called a 'double agent'..._

He had to convince Naruto to join him. He would use Naruto, or to be exact, use Kyuubi even if it meant killing Naruto.

_...That trauma made him a peaceful man who hated conflict._

The trauma of losing his whole clan made him a man thirsty of nothing but vengeance and that was why, he would destroy Konoha.

_His mission was the annihilation of the entire Uchiha clan._

Since his talk with Madara, he finally made up his mind. His mission, as the last Uchiha, would be the annihilation of Konoha.

Sasuke looked at Naruto and let out a dark chuckle. The gods had granted him an easy way to achieve his mission. Naruto was the pipeline that connected him to that village, just as his brother was the pipeline between their clan and the village made up of corruption and lies. He would put an end to that.

Eyes gleaming maliciously, he moved towards Naruto and leaned towards him. He lowered himself and pressed their foreheads together. He closed his eyes and when he opened them, there was a ominous gentleness in them.

"I'm happy to see you again, Naruto," whispered his voice, laced with sinister intent.

_I'm so happy, my dearest weapon._

**TBC**


	3. Diminuendo

**Disclaimer: All Naruto characters belongs to Kishimoto-san.**

**Pairing: SasuNaru**

**Warning: Yaoi, OOC, OCs and unbeta-read.**

**Author's notes: Please see my profile for an announcement about this fic. Also, there's a reason why OCs are present so just bear with it.**

* * *

Chapter 2: **Diminuendo**

Naruto moaned in his sleep before he opened his eyes. He studied the ceiling wondering why it was different from before and when it came to him, he immediately sat up, eyes darting around the room looking for Sasuke.

He cursed. Sasuke was gone again. He hurriedly stood up, ending up losing his balance and that was how Sasuke who was carrying a tray of breakfast, found him, sprawled on the floor.

Sasuke arched an eyebrow while his lips curled in a mocking smile. "Careless, as ever, I see." Before Naruto could come up with a witty comeback, Sasuke held a steaming bowl of ramen in front of Naruto's face, it's enticing scent overwhelming his senses. Naruto's lips stretched into a grin. "Let me do my morning routine and I'll eat it." Without waiting for Sasuke's reply, he left for the bathroom.

"What's with that look, Sasuke-teme?" an uncomfortable Naruto asked with a scowl. It had been awhile since they finished eating their breakfast and neither of them moved. Both males were wary while tension between them grew.

Sasuke leaned back in his chair and took on a leisure position. "I was guessing when are you were going to leave. Surely, you didn't come here for leisure, did you?" Knowing the blond's commitment towards his work, Naruto would never go far from Konoha for a vacation. He smirked seeing upon seeing guilty look form on the Naruto's face.

Contrary to what Sasuke was thinking, Naruto hadn't forgotten his mission, but he didn't want to leave his friend. Naruto was certain that Sasuke wouldn't hesitate to abandon him again. At the moment, he was torn on what to do. "Throw me out if you want, but I won't leave you."

"Even if I tell you to get your ass here by evening so that we can move to a bigger room that we can share with each other?"

Naruto blinked. Was he hearing correctly? Sasuke was telling him that they'd be sharing a room? He was going to live with Sasuke, but more than anything else Sasuke was giving him a chance. "That's suspiciously kind of you," he coolly remarked while he vainly tried to fight off the happiness he felt from showing on his face. Sure, he missed the old Sasuke, but he was beginning to like this new one.

Sasuke snorted. "Don't get me wrong. I just don't want to have you sticking to me like a leech." He remained nonplussed and unthreatened even when Naruto reached over and grabbed a fistful of his shirt. With his voice smooth and sinfully tempting, he asked, "What do you say, Naruto?"

"Your word, bastard."

"If you don't trust me then don't come."

There was a brief silence before Naruto let Sasuke go by shoving him back into his seat. With one last heated glare, he disappeared in a blink of the eye, leaving an evilly smirking Sasuke.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Naruto slumped on his bed and let out a puff of air. He turned to his right side where a blank scroll, carefully spread, laid. He reached out and let a finger slide through the brush that laid beside the scroll. It was almost time to send a report to Tsunade. He knew that, but he still hadn't decided whether to include the truth about Sasuke.

_I am tired of a shinobi's life. I want to start a new life._

He respected Sasuke's decision, but he wanted them to be comrades, to be teammates... to be brothers of the Leaf. Could he ignore Sasuke's wish for a new life? Was he that selfish to disregard what Sasuke wanted for himself? He didn't know. More importantly, what would be the consequences of his telling to Tsunade about Sasuke's stunt? Would the village elders send an ANBU team to assassinate him on sight? No, they wouldn't. There would a trial and punishment, but there would never be an execution for the last Uchiha because of his political and military status.

Would Sasuke mind if he told Tsunade? Naruto was certain of the answer to that question. If Sasuke would find out, there was no question that he would disappear again and Naruto didn't want Sasuke to disappear again.

It was that thought that made Naruto decide to keep Sasuke's existence a secret for the moment. From now on, whenever he was with the bastard, he would try to convince him that he wanted him to return to Konoha. Sasuke had to return to Konoha with him.

_I no longer want to walk on our path alone._

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Naruto paused just before he turned the corner of the street that would take him to Sasuke's inn. He took a deep breath to calm his crazily beating heart.

_Sasuke is waiting_, he kept on saying in assurance to that little voice that was frantically demanding, _What if he left already?_

Readying himself for the worst, he resumed walking and to see Sasuke standing outside of the inn sent a relief throughout his entire body that was more intense than the relief that had gripped him an hour ago after having found what could have been a good clue. He quickened his steps and for each step that brought him closer to the dark-haired male, his death grip on his knapsack loosened.

"You came," Sasuke said in an almost caustic tone. Even though he was confident that Naruto would show up, but that didn't mean that he wouldn't have been nervous. So nervous, in fact, that he ended up waiting outside for Naruto.

"You're still here," Naruto replied.

Grabbing his own knapsack, Sasuke said, "Let's go. I know an inn that would accommodate us well." He looked over his shoulder in a silent inquiry when Naruto grabbed his left hand.

"I'm broke at the moment-"

"It doesn't matter. I'll pay the rent for the meantime," Sasuke immediately pulled his hand free before it would register the blond how clammy his hand was. He mentally growled. He really hated waiting for people who were capable of disappointing him.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

The room they had rented had two single beds with a small table in between. It wasn't spacious, but it wasn't as cramped and small as their previous room. It also had a bathroom/toilet adjoined to it, which made the rent more expensive than that of the rooms that used public ones. Sasuke had chosen this kind of room not because he wanted to squander his money, but because he never liked using public restrooms and toilets.

Naruto immediately claimed the bed near the windows, leaving Sasuke no choice but to pick the bed near the wall. The blonde fell on his bed and sighed because the mattress was better than the last one he had.

"I'm going to take a shower," Sasuke told him to which he waved a hand in reply.

As the sound of the water hitting the floor tiles reached his ears, Naruto wondered what would happen to them from then on. Would he be able to convince his friend to return to his home? Or would the latter remain as stubborn as ever? He knew he had to plan this, unfortunately, he was aware that planning wasn't his strong point. In the end, he decided to be as spontaneous as he always was.

_I want you to stay with me, bastard._

Asking Naruto to share a room with him wasn't the difficult part of his plan. What was difficult was convincing him to join him in his task to annihilate Konoha. For him to accomplish such a plan he had to awaken the grudge the blond had against the villagers. He was certain that Naruto held a lot of grudges, although, he probably buried them deep into his consciousness. At all costs, he had to draw them out and let Naruto see the stains that had covered the whole village.

Of course if his efforts would be for naught, then he would have to use his sharingan to control Kyuubi. Even though a huge part of him seemed to believe that he would end up using this method, he would do everything he could to win Naruto over.

_I want you to stay with me, dobe._

After his shower, Naruto climbed to the rooftop where he knew Sasuke would be sitting after his shower. He hadn't seated himself yet when a messenger bird perched itself on his shoulder.

Under Sasuke's indifferent gaze, Naruto took the summoning scroll and applied the required chakra to activate it. In a second, a pouch of money and a plastic box container of dango appeared in a poof.

"You must be in a long-term mission to receive such amount of money," Sasuke commented off-handedly.

Naruto tensed a bit as he expected him to ask questions about the nature of his mission, but when the other male remained quiet, he relaxed. "I'm even on a budget," he replied while paying more attention to the Japanese sweets. He took the attached note and read it. It was from Sakura reminding him not to get into trouble. Taking a furtive glance at the man beside him, he wondered if his pink-haired friend could consider their former teammate as trouble. He smothered his dry chuckle by eating the dango and when Sasuke looked at him, he held the food's plastic container to him. "It's from Sakura-chan," he told him.

"I don't like sweets," Sasuke reminded him gruffly. In that short moment when his gaze shifted, Naruto had brought a hand hard on Sasuke's back and slipped a stick of skewered dango into his open mouth when he gasped out in surprise.

Sasuke glared at the sheepish Naruto while he pulled out the stick from his mouth. Unfortunately, the sweetness had reached his taste buds and got registered by his brain. He couldn't deny that the taste was close to that of the dango one of his aunts always made for him. Almost shyly, he started eating it, making his companion smile. "I just don't want to waste food, dobe," he explained defensively, but it didn't matter to Naruto, who was thinking that he should start feeding Sasuke with food from Konoha and maybe, just maybe, he'd start missing the village.

While eating, Naruto talked about the rest of rookie nine and the changes in Konoha while Sasuke listened. It wasn't because he was interested, but for the purpose of picking information that might be useful sometime in the very near future.

"... denying that he's seeing Ino and Temari at the same time. With his lazy nature and position in Konoha-"

"What's his position?" Sasuke who was feigning disinterest asked.

"He's a member of the council assigned for Konoha's self-defense. The village defense system had greatly improved. He's trying to make Konoha impenetrable."

"I doubt he can," Sasuke replied while thinking he should send someone to Konoha for a re-con mission. He should send a letter to _that_ person.

"He can. The escape routes and traps... he made it as perfect as possible." Naruto smiled and added, "Of course, you'll know more of it when you go back to Konoha."

"How many times-"

He turned to him, eyes clashing as they each attempted to stare the other down, "I won't give up, Sasuke. I never give up."

His determination irritated Sasuke who stood up and made his way back to their room.

Naruto sighed. Although he wanted to chase after his friend, he laid on his back instead, afraid that his spontaneity would chase Sasuke away. At this moment, he realized that he should be careful in dealing with the bastard. Spontaneous but careful. He should know when to press on and when to stop. Obviously, tactics and strategy were also important in winning him over.

God! Sasuke really was trouble... He told himself that he had done enough for today.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Calm and collected, Sasuke walked into what everybody called the "Den of Sins" in the Demon country. True to its name, the place really was a God forsaken place. Even in the dimness and fogginess from the pot many people were inhaling, Sasuke saw people partaking in carnal desires without inhibitions. It didn't bother him that few people were looking at him warily because he was a new face. He quickly twisted his body to avoid a man who went sailing past him from a group of drunkards that were busy fighting. He walked deeper into the place, regardless of the sharp gazes on him until finally, he found the door he was looking for. He went inside without bothering to knock, not that the occupants would ever hear him because they were too engrossed with their orgy.

Not the least bit scandalized with the scene in front of him, Sasuke leaned against the door and crossed his arms over his chest while he waited. He didn't wait long because few moments later, the participants had reached their climax.

One woman who noticed his presence sent him a sultry look while licking the cum from the penis of one man. Sasuke remained stoic. She, in her naked glory approached him and was about to reach out to touch, but his cold glare stopped her short.

One of the two men in the room chuckled loudly. "Our guest seems to not be interested in our activities," he said. The woman pouted and went back to him to snuggle against his legs just like the other two ladies. The other male stood up and draped on a robe before he sat on a chair and indicated for Sasuke to occupy the seat across from him. "What do you want, er-"

"Sasuke," the Uchiha supplied.

"What do you want, Sasuke?" he asked flirtatiously.

"Your services."

A seductive smile graced the man's lips. "Awhile ago, you gave off the impression that you're not interested."

"You know what I mean, Wataru-san," Sasuke answered calmly.

The man waved his hand, "We're nothing but sex-addicts."

His male companion – Yoshi, who pretended to be not listening to their conversation while fondling one of ladies, nodded in agreement.

Sasuke snorted, not the least bit convinced. He knew what they were. Even the scent of sex and cigarettes couldn't cover the thick scent of blood emanating from both men. "I have two words for you: killing spree." Just as he expected, the eyes of the man in front of him dilated and his hands trembled.

"You're not kidding, are you?"

"I never bluff." This time, it was Sasuke who looked more arrogant and in control. " So what do you say?"

Assured, both men switched from nymphomaniacs to killers. Their eyes were no longer lust-filled but gleamed with unspeakable danger and madness that encouraged them to continually make killing an art... the same madness that put Zabuza's blood-thirst as nothing. Strangely, it thrilled Sasuke to see them like this and the urge to fight them... to test his strength against theirs was there, rising.

"If you have the money-" the man on the bed said and Sasuke performed hand signs and had three pouches of money poof on the table even before he finished his statement.

The ladies squealed at the prospect of what such large amounts of money could buy them, then instantly fell quiet when Wataru raised a hand to silence them.

Wataru confirmed that the money held inside the pouches was real money... real money. Of course, he was surprised to receive such a generous amount of money. His blood brother who was based in Chicken country had told him of a very generous Sasuke Uchiha who had managed to penetrate their world and whom he had contract with.

Still pretending that he knew nothing about their guest and his reason for coming here, he asked, "Targets?" When the younger boy answered, his dark eyes gleamed ominously. "I just want you to do little things for me during the time I'll annihilate Konoha."

"Konoha?" he echoed, letting it roll off from his tongue. "I assume you have a plan."

Sasuke nodded.

"Unfortunately, our other partner - Tetsu is stoned so come back here tomorrow and we can hear our role in your plan." Having said that, he was back to his nymphomaniac mode. "You can join us, if you want," he said.

Sasuke looked at his companions who were now fondling each other before regarding Wataru. "I'll come back tomorrow same time."

The man gave him an amused look before nodding.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

"The hokage would be mad to see you procrastinating, dobe," Sasuke said when he joined the blonde who was lying down on the inclined grass-covered ground.

"She'd be more mad if I won't be able to find something useful," Naruto answered tiredly. He had spent his day running around the village, chasing sources which turned out to be false in the end. His nose twitched at the scent that fleeted to his nose and looked at the source- Sasuke.

"At least I don't spend my day getting laid with someone," he added irritably and it didn't help the fact that the bastard just arched an eyebrow, never denying his accusation. He felt a tug at his heart thinking how much Sasuke had changed. The Sasuke he knew would spend his day training and plotting vengeance but then again-

_I want to start a new life._

But was this the life Sasuke wanted to have? More importantly, was this the person he wanted Sasuke to become? Even though Sasuke was in front of him, he felt like the man was so far away. Would there be a time when even though Sasuke was breathing and alive before his eyes, he would feel that the man was dead?

_What had become of you?_

Sasuke scowled, displeased to see a sad look crossing on tanned face. "If your mission is that difficult, I can help you." Of course, he didn't offer his help simply because he wanted to help, but because he had an ulterior motive.

Naruto gazed into his eyes and asked quietly, "What happened to you, Sasuke?" It was a question raised in sincere concern, making the other man scowl. "You were never like this. What happened to the honor of your clan? What-"

"You don't know anything about me or my clan!" Sasuke snapped icily, his eyes flashing red.

"Then tell me!" Naruto snapped back. "I won't know and I'll keep making mistakes until then."

"It's not your business!"

"It is! The moment you and I created-" He was cut off mid-sentence by the pain that exploded on his left jaw. His eyes narrowed and returned Sasuke's punch which Sasuke eluded by taking a step backward and leaning backward. With an angry cry, Naruto threw himself at him, sending them to the ground.

Sasuke grunted as a fist made contact with him. He raised his arms to block the punches being rained down on him and when he found a good opening, bucked against Naruto and rolled them over.

"You're nothing but a fucking burden!" he screamed.

Blue eyes darkened with pain and because he didn't have a perfect comeback, he swung his left fist which Sasuke caught with his hand and pinned it above his head.

"You're stupid, Sasuke," Naruto murmured so softly that it stopped the other man.

Sasuke looked down at him. While his mind couldn't name the look on Naruto's face, his heart did because it clenched tightly. "You won't understand, Naruto." There was hurt in his voice too. Hurt and unspeakable grief that made tanned hands twitch to pull him into embrace.

"I want to understand, but you won't let me. You never let me." Again that voice that made regret too strong. Sasuke pulled away and Naruto sat up, his blue eyes still trained on his friend.

Sasuke opened his mouth to speak, but a boy had appeared and approached Naruto, completely oblivious of the volatile tension that ran between the two males.

"I was told to give this to you." He extended to Naruto what looked like a letter. Sasuke remained quiet while Naruto read it.

"Your reply?" the boy asked cheekily.

With cheeks tinted red, he answered, "Let's go."

The boy beamed and happily led the way. Without any word, Naruto walked past Sasuke, their shoulders brushing. Sasuke clenched his hands, throat constricting with all the words he wanted to say but could never say. He looked over his shoulder to see Naruto's back growing smaller. Why did it feel like Naruto had abandoned him?

**-SasuNaru is love-**

As long as he could remember, he had been stared at, pointed at while whispers about him were exchanged so he should have been used to these. He was certain that he was, but the eyes that were on him as he made his way to Rika's room made him uncomfortable. There was just something about the stares these women gave him that made goose-bumps appear on his skin.

Taking the stairs two at a time, he went to the second floor, took the left wing and knocked on the farthest door. After hearing the permission to enter, Naruto walked in and blushed furiously. Rika- the hostess he met on the night he met Sasuke was in the process of donning her clothes and although she had her back towards him, it didn't make any difference. Nakedness was stark nakedness.

A fully clothed Rika turned and the smile on her face became wider upon seeing how the blond's face turned redder. How cute.

Naruto pressed himself against the door and looked sideways. "Can you put on a more proper clothing?" he asked, too embarrassed to appropriately react to the erotic sight of having a beautiful woman wearing a sheen lingerie gown that left nothing to a man's imagination.

Rika just chuckled softly and moved towards him in such a graceful manner, it was as if she was gliding. She teasingly draped her form over the male who trembled with embarrassment rather than desire for her. It was disconcerting actually to have him react like this. She could tell that he was already an adolescent... a late teen yet his reaction was so...

"You said in your letter that you want to talk with me about my village," Naruto said while squirming away from her.

Still teasing, she trailed a pointer finger on his chest and slyly, lowered the zipper of his jacket. At such action, Naruto stumbled away from her, chest heaving. What a glorious prey.

"We are talking. In this business, we let our bodies talk."

"Stop joking around!" Naruto told her with irritation lacing his voice.

Seeing that the blonde was too serious, she sat on the edge of her bed and leaned back on her hands. With a nod, she inclined for her guest to sit on the chair in front of her. When he did, she began telling him.

"I know you're here to look for your friend, but considering that you're from Konoha I thought you might like to hear this."

Naruto just nodded, never bothering to correct her on why he really came here.

"My cousin said somebody is planning to annihilate Konoha and had come to her masters for their services."

Naruto tensed and his eyes became hard. "Was she able to see this prick?" he demanded.

Rika shook her head. "Her masters were just discussing it. But, the man would meet them again."

"When? Where?" Naruto asked. Finally, he would meet the bastard and the thought made his heart thump with anxiety. If he successfully thwarted the plan then he could focus his efforts in convincing Sasuke to come back.

"Same place. Tomorrow, late afternoon."

"Same place?"

The woman nodded. "The masters' room of the Den of Sins."

"I heard it's a guarded place but," he gave her a confident grin, "I have the perfect plan."

**-SasuNaru is love-**

When Naruto had said "perfect plan", Rika thought of a grand plan of intrusion, but that was because she had no idea how simple the blond's mind worked, or that the blond had a technique which everybody thought to be nonsense. Of course, she didn't know any of these just as the bystanders of the Den of Sins didn't know that the drunk blue-eyed blond lady was just pretending to be drunk or that she was actually a male in disguise.

Excusing himself to the toilet, Naruto stood up and left, but not before gliding his fingers on the man's chest to his shoulders. He just winked at the man who slapped his bottom before he continued to strut provocatively while maintaining his drunken state. Nobody noticed that he walked past the hallway that led to the toilets.

And when he met a muscled man, probably a guard on patrol, he gave him a disarming smile and bemoaned her woes of getting lost. Convinced, the man gave her directions and continued walking, without bothering to check if the beautiful lady did follow his instructions.

Proud at how smoothly things were going, Naruto continued smiling until he reached his destination. He pressed an ear against the door and heard muffled voices. Stealthily, he slipped inside and his eyes scowled dangerously when he heard "intrusion", "bridgehead" and "Konoha". He didn't have to think to conclude that the bastards were planning Konoha's destruction. He withdrew a kunai from its hiding place and hiding his armed hand, drunkenly stumbled past the foldable divider where the voices came from, taking everybody by surprise.

The three men whom he couldn't identify looked at him murderously, mentally marking him. Alert for any attacks coming from them, he turned his gaze to the other side and his eyes widened, his jutsu broken while his kunai sickeningly cluttered to the floor. He knew without a doubt that he was staring at the man who was the mastermind behind the plot against Konoha... the man he was ordered to kill.

His lips moved slowly to utter, "Sa-su-ke."

And his world shattered.

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**TBC**


	4. Prima Volta

Disclaimer: All Naruto characters belongs to Kishimoto-san.

Pairing: SasuNaru

Warning: Yaoi, OOC, OCs and unbeta-read.

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**Chapter 03: Prima Volta**

Staring into those eyes, which had intensely darkened with hatred, Naruto knew he could never deny that Sasuke was in this great conspiracy against Konoha. The man in front of him was a great threat to the bonds he made in Konoha, but he didn't want him to be. Never wanted him to be.

_"Why are you here?" he had asked Sasuke once and his friend answered, "Checking to see if this place will suit me."_

_"Why did you pretend to be dead?" and he replied, "I want to start a new life."_

Painfully, he realized that everything Sasuke said were nothing but lies and like the fool his friend thought him to be, he believed every fucking word and all because he still believed in Sasuke. He believed him. With his life. With his soul. With his everything.

He gulped as panic settled heavily in his stomach. What should he do? Sasuke was still looking at him and Tsunade was expecting him to complete his mission. God! He wished things were back the way they were. He wished he knew nothing about Sasuke's agenda. However, he knew he couldn't turn back time, but he could pretend. Yes, pretending was the best way when he didn't have the courage to accept things. He turned and fled towards the door, ready to pretend... to forget this time of his life.

"Comrade," Sasuke told the three men who were ready to kill the fleeing blond and in a move so sudden that his seat fell back to the floor, he ran after his friend. Simultaneously, he wrapped a hand around tanned wrist in a vice-grip and slammed his other hand on the half-open door. "Don't," he whispered into Naruto's right ear and neither of them were aware that there was a plea in his voice.

"Let go!" Naruto shouted as he freed his hand and in the silence, his voice was louder than usual.

"I want you to listen," Sasuke told him.

"I have had enough of your lies!" Naruto retorted while he tried to open the door.

"You want to understand, right? I'm giving you a chance!" He stumbled backward at the force of Naruto's punch. He tasted blood. Fucking dobe! He scowled and threw shurikens at Naruto's general direction. He missed the blond, but he managed to get him away from the door. When Naruto moved towards it again, he intercepted him, causing them to clash again.

"Get out of my way, bastard!" Naruto ordered while he delivered a roundhouse kick, which Sasuke had expertly blocked with an arm. With a powerful punch he failed to elude, he found himself flying and landing on the table, their three spectators scurrying away. He shook his head to clear his mind and glared at the haughty Sasuke. He growled and lunged forward like a wild animal desperately trying to leave the trap.

Sasuke tensed too, his body braced for impact. He clenched his fists and swung his left one. Naruto smirked and flipped himself upward, passing Sasuke who didn't expect that move. The dark-haired man turned and the thought that Naruto would successfully walk out on him scared him. Angered him. He couldn't accept it. He wouldn't allow it.

A sense of relief washed over Naruto as he finally reached the door. He wrapped a hand around the knob and behind him blue light started flickering. He snapped his gaze backward at the cacophony sound of birds and his eyes widened. He ungracefully slumped to the ground as Sasuke's chidori current sapped his strength and completely numbed his body. He was electrocuted. The bastard!

"That's cheating," he growled when Sasuke hovered above him.

"I won't let you leave," He heard Sasuke reply before he flinched as the other man lifted him up onto his arms. He wanted to struggle, but he was completely detached from his body.

Sasuke looked at the three men who seemed to be amused and speculative. "Let's continue this discussion when I come here again." They nodded and slightly tightening his hold on the blond, both of them disappeared.

Sasuke made Naruto sit on the chair while he sat on the edge of Naruto's bed. "Here is your chance, dobe," he grimly said, ignoring Naruto's heated glare.

"Madara, my ancestor and co-founder of Konoha had revealed a truth I would have never known if I had remained in Konoha. Yes, Itachi killed my clan, but it was an order given by the elders of Konoha."

Blue eyes widened. "Stop giving me lies!" Naruto half-screamed, frustrated. If he could, he would have punched him.

Sasuke lowered his gaze as if in shame. "The clan had planned a coup d'etat and to gain information, my father, who was the leader, ordered Itachi to join ANBU."

"Why would a clan as respected as yours do that?"

However, Sasuke continued instead of answering, his eyes glazed over while as he recalled Madara's words. "Itachi who had experienced war at an early age. Itachi who wanted a peaceful Konoha." There was admiration in his voice- the same admiration he had when he was still a boy who was completely unaware of his brother's descent into madness. He clenched his hands. "Itachi who was taken advantage of by the village elders. Itachi who betrayed our clan..."

"Sasu- But why?" Naruto asked and he maintained his wary look, never giving away the fact that sensations were coming back to him and it would not be long before he could move again.

"Because my clan was scorned... deemed as outcasts." Because Naruto's blue eyes glimmered with confusion, he told him everything he learned from Madara.

Hearing the history of the Uchiha clan and seeing Sasuke carrying the burden of it all, Naruto's heart clenched. He couldn't help but to sympathize with him and especially because he believed him.

"And Itachi, the fucking asshole didn't tell me. He just asked Sandaime to spare me from the truth. What purpose would that serve?" he mumbled, ignoring his stinging eyes. When he had everything out from his chest, he felt the weight from his shoulders lessen, but also felt empty.

Naruto quietly regarded Sasuke with his heart aching. Up until now, he had thought that his friend had everything - pedigree of warriors, honor, respect and admiration. Who would have thought that the clan who had lived at the outskirts of Konoha was outcast from the rest of the village? How many of them had thought that the clan had distanced themselves from the rest of the villagers as a display of their sense of superiority? And now, Sasuke, as the last Uchiha, had to bear all the consequences of his clan's actions as well as Konoha's.

_Sasuke..._

He could finally understand the doleful eyes Sasuke always wore. Finally... finally, he understood and it hurt. If there was only anything he could do for that pain to disappear...

_Sasuke..._

Before he could even comprehend that his body could now move, Naruto had approached the man.

Sasuke tensed when he felt soft lips pressed against his right eye then onto his left one. His eyes fluttered open to stare into blue eyes full of emotion, which managed to go straight into his heart, making it quiver.

"Don't cry," Naruto whispered so softly, his breath mingling with Sasuke's. Boldly and not understanding why, he leaned forward again and this time, he planted a lingering kiss on Sasuke's lips.

Surprise wasn't enough to describe what Sasuke felt to receive a kiss, and from Naruto no less. He also felt goosebumps rolling over his skin like waves. The contact had been too short for him to decide whether he liked it or not. He looked at the blond who was also staring at him, probably scrutinizing his reactions.

"I'm sorry," he heard the blond murmur. Sasuke couldn't tell if Naruto was apologizing for the sudden kiss, or for all the miserable things that happened to him. If it was the former... He pulled him in for another kiss, and this time Naruto was the one who had been surprised.

Sasuke planted his right hand on the bed to support their combined weight while they pressed against each other. His other hand wrapped around Naruto's nape. He felt himself shiver when he felt hands gently cupping his face. So gentle... so delicious. He breathed Naruto's name between short breathless kisses and finally pulled him down as he laid on his back on the bed.

As he dragged his lips on the exposed pale neck, Naruto wondered which part of comfort did this act fall under and if it was okay to continue; to let himself be carried away by this raging current between them. His eyes fluttered closed when he felt cold hands slipping under his shirt.

_Sasuke..._

He shuddered at the feel of those hands on his skin. Sasuke's hands were cold but they were making his body catch fire.

_Touch me more._

Sasuke's throat constricted as another silent moan passed through it. For a moment, he had hesitated. Not because he was disgusted, but because he was scared for all the meaning this act implicated. However, something was rearing in him, filling whatever emptiness he felt a while ago. And God! He did want this emptiness to be filled. He opened his eyes, wanting to ask the blond if this was okay, but seeing him with that look of wanton and something else he couldn't name, Sasuke decided for himself that it was. Besides, he could no longer stop his hands from wandering, from feeling Naruto. He discarded Naruto's shirt at the same time that Naruto parted his kimono open.

"It's okay," Naruto mumbled to Sasuke who nodded. It was okay because this was Naruto... the dobe who believed in him through and through. It was okay because Naruto... he could trust him. He let out a strained moan when the blond began to nibble his way down from his neck to his chest. What was the name of this sensation? He reached out and buried his hands into the mop of golden hair, pulling its owner closer. He bucked when his left nipple was teasingly nipped before a hot mouth enclosed it.

_Naruto..._

He could feel the flame swirling in his stomach while something akin to lava coursed through his veins. He was burning at the same time melting beneath those caresses that were exploratory and seductively innocent.

_Melt me..._

Was it okay to want someone so much? To share with that person whatever that lay beyond these webs of pleasure surrounding them? He reached out a hand and cupped a scarred cheek when Naruto hovered above him, his eyes glazed and half-mast.

"Naruto," he murmured breathlessly, chest too tight with all those strange sensations the blond above him made him feel. He tugged him down for another hungry kiss and he made a noise of approval when Naruto lowered himself on him. So close... so distractingly close. While he drank the blond's sweetness, he trailed his hands down a tanned back, feeling the muscles tensing beneath his hands and it pleased him. Naruto was always responsive towards him, but who would have thought that he would carry that same capability even in this activity? He slid his hands into Naruto's black pants and massaged the two globes of flesh that were concealed underneath the said pants, drawing a long moan from the blond. He rolled them over, trailing his hungry mouth over any exposed skin that had taken his attention and loving every sound that came forth from those swollen lips. As he licked the tanned body beneath his, he finally understood why the first intimate contact with Naruto made him want more. Naruto... He tasted of power... the power over him, the power that could give him his revenge and the power to which the fire in him responded passionately. Without a doubt, he wanted him.

"I want you," he murmured while he traced the tip of his tongue around a tanned navel and noticed the swirling black seal appearing faintly. He slowly and softly traced it with his right thumb. _I want your power. _Wasn't this one of the reason why he accepted Madara's offer?

Arrogantly, he heard Naruto reply in a thick voice, "Then want me, bastard."

He snorted in reply and licked his suddenly dry lips as he regarded Naruto in his naked glory. His heart thudded loudly against his chest. There was so much trust and desire in those blue eyes. He quietly gulped, excitement roaring through his veins. The container of _his_ power was beneath him, waiting for his mark.

_Naruto..._

It was obvious that the blond had no idea what he was doing to him and it was better that way because if he learned of it, it would have proved who was stronger between them.

_You don't know how much I-_

Sasuke leaned forward to teasingly brush his lips against the other's erection, making the man beneath him cry out. He dropped butterfly kisses on tanned inner thighs and his nose twitched at the scent of desire. All for him. His own erection twitched in approval.

He pressed his tongue flat against Naruto's perineum and saw a pearl of white fluid sliding down from his penis. Reaching a hand, he toyed with the blond's balls while he slid his tongue lower and lower.

Blindly, Naruto opened his legs for more while he raised his hips, giving Sasuke's tongue better access. His hands dug into the bed while he struggled to breathe and swallowed his saliva through his constricting throat. All of his muscles were too tensed to even do its daily basic functions.

"Sa..suke," he panted and he draped one of his legs over the man's tensed left shoulder.

His eyes flew open the moment Sasuke's tongue snaked around _that _verysensitive place, wetting it with his own saliva. Even before he could get used to the spikes of pleasure shooting through his entire being, his friend had added a finger to rub and press against his opening and it made him see stars; made him so close to wherever this moment would end. He breathed out Sasuke's name while his sweet torture continued. He was so close. He was ready to burst and he would've, if not for the hand which was painfully wrapped around the base of his dick... the same hand, which a while ago had been mischievously toying with his balls. A low groan came past his lips as a reaction to that finger penetrating him without a warning.

"That's unnatural, asshole," he growled.

Saliva dripping from the side of his mouth, Sasuke replied thickly, "Sex is natural, dobe." _Especially between us._

Whatever smart-aleck comment Naruto had for a comeback dispersed into white glittering dust as his sensitive spot, after being simulated, sent an electric sensation throughout his entire being. It was like being electrocuted with Sasuke's chidori current except that there was no discomfort and pain just pleasure... Undiluted and raw.

"Yeah, " he muttered, his back slightly arching. "More."

Following the blond's half-plea and half-command, Sasuke added another finger then another while his tongue continued teasing his ring of muscles. When Naruto almost reached his apex, Sasuke pulled away causing Naruto to glare at him. However, his glare's sharpness was absent, completely rendering it useless. He had to admit though that seeing Sasuke remove his clothes hurriedly had excited him. Of course, seeing his erection - all red and angry, also pleased him. He wasn't exactly innocent. He knew, thanks to Jiraiya's novels, what would happen between men, but he had never known that him and Sasuke would be sharing this kind of intimacy.

"Hurry, Sasuke," he said, eyes half-closed. He propped his knee and opened his legs as far as he could. "C'mon," and he stretched out a hand. When Sasuke was within reach, he grabbed him for a kiss while he welcomed the man between his legs. It was so good to see Sasuke so alive, to have him feel so warm.

They laced their hands together and let them rest above Naruto's head. Sasuke broke their kiss to stare at Naruto while he pushed himself in... inexorably. Imitating Naruto's action a while ago, he pressed a tender kiss on both of his eyes upon seeing the pain and discomfort that crossed that flushed, tanned face. He then dragged his mouth to a tanned ear to whisper, "I want you." He then thrust all the way before he plunged his tongue into Naruto's right ear, showing him what would happen very soon.

Instead of complaining and whining about the pain, Naruto just entangled his legs with Sasuke's and moved against him, causing the male above him to tremble with sheer desire.

Naruto's chest tightened upon seeing that smirk before Sasuke pulled then pushed into him, deeper.

"Move slightly to the left," Naruto whispered, his hot breath fanning Sasuke's forehead as those wicked lips dipped to leave marks on his neck. "A little bit to the right," he added and his ring of muscles tightened around Sasuke's erection when Sasuke finally hit the right spot and from there on, it was an ascent to a madness they didn't know existed up until now. Forces pulled and pushed them while the webs of pleasure tightened around them, leaving them no time to ponder what was happening and what was going to happen. All they knew was that, it was perfect despite the awkwardness of it... their rhythm and their tempo.

Everything that happened between them since they were kids lead this moment to be meaningful for the both of them; to become the force that pushed them higher and higher from the ground and past the ether and finally to the heavens where everything exploded and turned into a wind of flame that surrounded them.

There was silence as their passion created their place in the heavens... their dimension.

Distantly, Naruto felt Sasuke slipping out from him and collapsing on the bed beside him. He raised his eyes and it saddened him to see on pale cheeks, the trails created by the tears Sasuke had shed half an hour ago. Although it hurt moving, he propped himself to lick the trail on left cheek before he laid back down. Slowly, he squeezed Sasuke's left hand.

"It's going to be okay," he heard himself say.

To his surprise, Sasuke slipped their hands together.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Naruto stirred to awakening and sleepily brought a hand to cover his eyes from the columns of sunlight that streamed from the window. A smile curled his lips upon seeing Sasuke who had just stepped out from the shower.

Ignoring the sudden increase of his heartbeat, Sasuke grabbed another towel and tossed it towards the blonde. "Take a shower so we can have breakfast downstairs."

"Morning too, asshole," Naruto retorted sarcastically while dragging himself out from the bed. Grabbing his clothes, he sleepily marched towards the bathroom. In his half-asleep state, he was completely unprepared when his left foot slipped, causing him to lose his balance.

Sasuke had just thrust his legs into his pants when he heard a loud thud from the bathroom. Cursing, he flung the door open to see what injury the clumsy idiot had brought upon himself. Heat travelled up his neck and face when he saw Naruto haphazardly sitting on his butt, legs propped and spread and eyes wide with confusion.

When the blond's mind finally digested what happened and who was watching, he immediately righted himself just as he heard Sasuke muttered, "Clumsy dobe," before he slammed the door.

Sasuke sat on his bed and sighed. He was troubled to realize that the sight few seconds ago had managed to draw out a response from him. He gripped his knees while he willed his slight erection to disappear. What was wrong with him? Until last night, he hadn't wanted Naruto and yet it seemed like this yearning had started a long time ago and was buried deep. If it weren't for last night, this feeling wouldn't have reared its head, but it did and he sensed trouble ahead. What should he do? He needed and wanted the blond, especially in order for his plan... for his vengeance.

When a fully-dressed Naruto stepped out from the shower, he avoided Sasuke's gaze and was quiet. He was embarrassed because... No, he was just embarrassed, period.

Half-annoyed at the blond's sudden standoffish behavior, Sasuke none-too-gently knocked the blond's head with a fist while they made their way downstairs. "What's with that attitude, dobe?" He inserted his hands into his pockets, slightly hunched his shoulders forward and walked ahead of the still quiet Naruto. "It's not like nothing intimate had happened between us."

Naruto flushed and called after him. "Don't mention that in public, bastard!"

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Naruto and Sasuke regarded each other warily the moment they went back to their room right after having an awkward breakfast. It had been a routine for both of them to leave for work after having a meal, but yesterday's great revelation had upset it.

Naruto cleared his throat and started, "Sa-"

"No," Sasuke immediately replied. "I won't abandon my plans."

"But what about the innocent people? The children?"

"Did the elders consider the children and the innocent when they ordered my brother to wipe out my clan?"

"Then what about the people you know? Kakashi-sensei? Sakura-chan? Iru-"

"I hate anyone or anything that represents Konoha."

At those words uttered in sincerity, blue eyes turned dull as if the life that was reflected in those orbs was snuffed out. Naruto averted his gaze to the floor while he stated simply and quietly, "You hate me then."

He let out a gasp of surprise when he felt a hand grab a fistful of his hair and tilted his head back so he could stare into those empty black eyes that were flickering with something he couldn't name. "I don't," he heard Sasuke reply before he dragged his lips on his neck, making him shiver.

"Don't," Naruto said. He didn't want to be so close to Sasuke when they still hadn't finished their conversation, but he found his resolve slowly wavering as his friend continued his light kisses. He couldn't push him away. He never had the power. Even when he felt his pants slipping to the floor, he couldn't step away. His body was betraying him at the same time, awakening. Sasuke huskily whispered his name and Naruto knew he couldn't deny the man anymore. If human contact was what Sasuke needed, then he would give it to him. Wholeheartedly.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

It was already noon when Sasuke left their room to meet the three leaders.

"Have you taken care of him?" Wataru asked while he offered a seat to Sasuke who nodded in reply.

"He doesn't look capable," Yoshi commented off-handedly. In his opinion, a man as strong as Sasuke wouldn't need someone like that blond.

"He has fangs and claws," Sasuke replied. "You should not question me when it comes to him. I know him well despite his being unpredictable."

Testu scratched his stomach while he waved his other hand dismissively. "Then we won't question him. Let's continue where we left off yesterday."

Sasuke nodded. "As I had mentioned, my team members..."

While Sasuke was discussing his plans, Naruto was blindly walking around the town, lost, torn and confused. In the end, his feet led him to the club building Rika was staying and working in. He stood in front of it, wondering whether or not he should go inside. Despite the woman's insufferable flirtatious behavior, to Naruto, she was a familiar face... she was serenity in this moment when the waves around him were churning violently. Thinking that she was probably out or working, he decided to leave, but her voice stopped him.

"Naruto-kun?"

He looked to his left side and saw her with a paper bag full of groceries pressed against her chest. "What are you doing here?"

He scratched the bridge of his nose, suddenly embarrassed. "Well, you see..."

Rika just smiled. "Let's go to my room. It's my day-off so we can talk if you'd like," she offered sweetly. He gave a quick nod at her offer as he followed suit.

"I heard what happened at the den yesterday," Rika told him. She paused and held an open wine bottle above Naruto's cup, waiting if he'd refused, but when he didn't, she tilted the bottle downward and filled his cup. "You two seem to know each other."

"I knew him well. He was... is one of my important persons... the person I am ordered to kill," Naruto replied before he pressed a hand against his eyes. "In the village, the rest of my important persons live there and I don't know who I should choose. Why do I have to choose? Why does it have to be 'either' and 'or'? Why can't I have both?"

For a moment, Rika had been surprised. In her work, there were customers who shared their problems with her either out of want for her to listen or for her advice, but their problems were nothing compared to the teen in front of her. She felt sorry for him.

"I can't... I don't know. The more I am keeping his existence a secret, the more I am putting the village in danger, but I don't want him to disappear again... to turn his back on me." Naruto grabbed the cup and drank the offered wine. Now that he thought about it, Sasuke hadn't asked him to keep his presence a secret from Konoha. It was his selfishness and fear that prevented him from reporting to Tsunade. In the end, it wasn't between Sasuke and the rest of his friends but between his selfishness and the village safety. Could he ignore his desires for the greater good? Was he that kind of a martyr? Was that what Konoha expected from him when he took the mantle as its shinobi?

His eyes widened when he realized that he had been crying. He turned his head, wanting to hide from Rika that he was crying.

"It's okay if you want to cry," the woman told him. "I'll pretend that you aren't... that I am not seeing your tears."

_What should I do?_

It was already late at night when Naruto returned to their room and by then Sasuke was already sleeping, and judging by the peaceful look on his face and his steady, even breathing, he was in a deep slumber. Quietly, Naruto approached Sasuke's bed and slowly leaned over him.

Naruto finally realized that he would be a monster if he would let all the villagers die by Sasuke's hands. Although, the elders had wronged his friends, he couldn't allow Sasuke this chance to crush Konoha. He had sworn to live and die for Konoha. He had sworn to protect the village his father protected. He was willing to sacrifice Sasuke just as his father sacrificed him. All to save the lives of the villagers.

With his gaze on Sasuke's handsome face, he withdrew a kunai from his pouch. The blade glittered under the column of pale moonlight and his sorrowful-looking blue eyes were reflected on the blade's sleek surface.

_I'm sorry Sasuke, but I have chosen them over you... over me._

He had made his decision and even made sure that this was what he really decided. He had finally made his resolve to kill his best friend, so why did tears leak from the corners of his eyes? Why did his hands tremble? Why did he want to plunge his kunai into his heart instead of Sasuke's?

"Get on with it, dobe," he heard Sasuke's gruff voice mutter, surprising him. He tensed when Sasuke turned to look at him. Contrary to what he expected, there was no sharingan or hatred etched on his face. Sasuke was looking at him with a resigned look.

"My mission is to kill the man who is plotting against Konoha, Sasuke," Naruto explained, wanting him to understand. "Why does it have to be you, bastard?"

Sasuke regarded him and sighed, "I'd rather die by your hands." With a steady hand, he grabbed Naruto's hand and guided the kunai towards the body, causing blue eyes to widen. Sasuke was going to kill himself!

In the silence of the room, the sound of flesh being pierced was heard. In a split second, blood tainted Sasuke's clothes, bed sheet and blanket.

_Goodbye._

**TBC**


	5. Agitato

Disclaimer: All Naruto characters belong to Kishimoto-san.

Pairing: SasuNaru

Warning: Yaoi, OOC, OCs and unbeta-read.

Author's notes: Somebody should execute us, or to be exact, me. While XKunoichiofthePaintbrushX had a perfect reason for her unavailability, my reason is "Recently, my work swallowed me up and I let it". A deepest apology for late update.

* * *

**Chapter 4: Agitato**

Sasuke grabbed Naruto's hand and guided the kunai towards his body, causing blue eyes to widen. In a split second, blood tainted Sasuke's clothes, bed sheet and blanket.

With eyes wide, Sasuke stared at the bleeding tan hand, kunai still lodged into its palm. "What- dobe!" He scrambled to a sitting position while he grabbed Naruto's bleeding hand.

"Dammit, Sasuke," Naruto said and dropped his head forward. He was not ready to kill the bastard, especially when he just found him. He grimaced and let out a groan of pain when Sasuke pulled out the kunai quickly. His breath hitched when Sasuke brought his hand to his lips and lapped at his blood. _Sasuke..._ It became hard for him to breathe when smoky obsidian eyes held his gaze.

"I won't give you another chance, Naruto," Sasuke told him. For a split second, his eyes darted to regard the wound which was slowly closing. As expected of Kyuubi.

"I know, but I'll think of something else," he replied. He tugged his hand free just as Sasuke let it go. They leaned forward and grabbed the other's head as they desperately pressed their lips together. Sasuke still tasted of blood, but rather than being disgusted by it, he found it rather erotic. He cupped the pale face and said, "Let's go home, Sasuke."

"I have no home," Sasuke replied while he moved closer to the blonde, yearning for more.

_Let me touch you._

Tanned hands paused from peeling the kimono off from that lissome pale body. "You do. You always did. Konoha."

Sasuke rolled them over and almost painfully, pressed Naruto against the bed. "Don't," he warned harshly.

"Then when?" _When am I allowed to talk about this?_

The Uchiha paused for a moment before saying, "Come with me, Naruto."

Blue eyes widened then fluttered closed as his mouth was being expertly ravished again. However, he couldn't forget that Sasuke had invited him; that he was giving him a chance for them to be together. Would he accept it? A sudden sharp sensation made him remember that now wasn't the time to think. Sasuke was above him, touching him and it was just right, to touch Sasuke back; to let his hands wander on territory that was usually forbidden from him.

"Sasuke," he breathed and ground their hips together, causing the man above him to tremble and moan. His eyes fluttered close when a finger traced his hand which had been bleeding until few seconds ago, checking to see if the wound was still there.

One by one their clothes fell to the floor and the sounds of pleasure had steadily gone louder as their inhibitions and differences disappeared. Caresses were exchanged. Kisses were shared. Areas were marked as they possessively staked claims on what was not theirs; could never be theirs.

Sasuke moaned the moment he was sheathed by Naruto's tight heat while the lower half of his body was cradled between strong, tanned thighs. He murmured Naruto's name and with glazed eyes looked at him. With a trembling hand, he traced the scars on the face, causing Naruto to open his eyes.

"Sasuke," he heard him say in breathless voice and his heart clenched. If there was a time when he and Naruto were completely in tune, it was this moment when he was lodged into his body. He lowered his upper body so their chests were pressed together. Like this, he was close to the dobe and the emptiness that haunted him ceased to exist. He was just filled with a sense of something he couldn't put a finger on.

Naruto started moving against him and Sasuke also moved, but he let him decide their pace. It wasn't slow nor was it fast. It was just appropriate for the tension, which had settled heavily between them since Naruto had found out about his plan, to be diverted.

Even in the haze of desire, Sasuke was aware that Naruto raised his arms to wrap around his shoulders and he stopped him. He entwined their fingers and let it settle on the bed.

Naruto opened his eyes and stared at his lover whose face was distorted with pleasure. Although having their hands linked together wasn't bad at all, he had wanted to hold Sasuke close, but the man always managed to stop him. He wondered what issues Sasuke had against such intimacy.

"Kiss me," he told him between pants and Sasuke did... achingly as if he meant the whole world to him while they move relentlessly, pushing the other higher and higher to the apex; suffocating each other with pleasure until their souls found each other again.

After awhile they lay side by side with the scent of sex hanging heavily in the air. Naruto turned to Sasuke and broke the post-coital silence by asking, "Tell me about Itachi."

Sasuke looked at him and asked curiously, "Why the sudden interest?"

The blonde shrugged, "We never talked about him because you were always defensive and got mad whenever his name was mentioned." For a moment Sasuke remained quiet, Naruto thought that his request was being ignored until he heard him say, "He had been a brother through and through beneath the lies he told me. I had told him that my sharingan could see through illusions and it did, but it never penetrated his. He was stronger than I thought him to be." He knew he could never surpass his brother who was more than a dynamic ninja.

Naruto turned to settle on his left, his head cradled by his left arm. Sasuke followed suit and turned to his right, his head cradled by his right arm. "During the time when I used to think of nothing but shuriken practice and spending time with him, he was already descending to madness. I didn't know. I was too blind." _Too selfish_.

"You were a child, Sasuke and as a child, you think of nothing else but yourself."

"I couldn't save him. He thought of me all the time, thinking that my life weighed more than the village. He waited for me to kill him like the traitor he made us believe he was because he wanted the village to see me as a hero." _Too weak_.

Naruto slowly gulped. That statement was quite familiar to him. His father wanted the village to see him as a hero as well, but that didn't turn out right and a small part of him believed that the same thing might happen to his friend.

"He was a good brother, and it's vexing that when I realized it, it was too late and that I was never good to him." _Too stupid_.

Naruto regarded Sasuke who was on the verge of tears. Itachi had received an order to kill the Uchiha clan and he almost completed his mission and now, he had received an order to kill the man who was plotting against Konoha who happened to be his brother. Could he kill the man Itachi had always treasured even when he descended into madness? Could he? And for the first time in his life, he was asking Itachi for help. He snapped out from his thoughts when he felt a hand curled around his right hand.

He looked down at their connected hands and so did Sasuke. Slowly, they shifted it so that their hands were aligned perfectly, palm to palm. "I want to be with you," Naruto murmured, causing Sasuke's heart to slam against his chest.

Sasuke slightly moved his hand so that he could slip his fingers between the gaps of tanned ones. "Then come with me."

The blonde let out a shuddering breath and gazed straight into obsidian orbs. "I can't because I can't kill Sakura and the others. You're important to me, Sasuke, but that doesn't mean they aren't too."

"You don't have to kill them yourself," Sasuke said and Naruto didn't know whether he should be relieved or annoyed by that statement until he heard the rest of Sasuke's words. "We'll let someone do that or if you want, I'll kill them for you. No friend of yours will die by your hand." Naruto snatched his hand free from his grip as if burnt. In a way, he was. Sasuke's words burnt him.

"I can't kill them, but that doesn't mean I'll let them die. I won't let them die," he stated harshly, eyes flaring with determination. "You're crazy, Sasuke! Why are you so hellbent in crushing Konoha?"

Sasuke scowled. "Are you really an idiot? I told you-"

"Itachi protected Konoha... that was why he killed your clan. Will you destroy what he-" He gasped when a hand grabbed his neck.

With sharingan flaring to life, Sasuke growled coldly, "Shut up! There wouldn't have been a coup d'etat if Konoha didn't cast us out!"

With his attempts of peeling the hand off of him failing, Naruto jabbed his elbow into Sasuke's stomach. Once free, he rolled away from the bed, although he was still feeling discomfort on his sensitive and stretched area. Standing, he ignored Sasuke's semen slipping out from his crack and on his thighs and told the man, "I won't come with you no matter what." He raised his chin and walked back to his bed, slightly confused at the confident smirk that graced Sasuke's lips.

Seeing Naruto walked away from him, Sasuke felt a sense of loss. The closeness they shared had dissipated and was replaced by the distance which seemed to increase with every argument they had. Why was their closeness so ephemeral?

**-SasuNaru is love-**

When Naruto woke up the next morning, his heart plummeted when he realized that Sasuke was gone in a sense that all the bastard's things where no where to be found. Without a doubt, Sasuke had left... Sasuke had slipped away from him again. He had driven him away. He plopped himself back to the bed and stared at the ceiling with his unshed tears distorting his view.

Sasuke had made his decision just as he- Naruto did. He let out a shuddering sigh before gathering his composure. Few minutes later, Naruto had begun to pack his things and left for Konoha with his heart broken once more.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Tsunade's eyebrows met to form a deep scowl while her whole body tensed. "What do you mean Sasuke Uchiha is alive?" she demanded after hearing Naruto's report.

"He used different forbidden jutsus for that stunt of his," Naruto explained. "And now he is preparing to crush Konoha."

Honey-brown eyes widened. Tsunade clenched her fists, her red-painted nails digging into her palms painfully. _Just like Orochimaru._

"And?" she asked tersely.

Naruto shifted his sad gaze downward and clenched his right elbow tight when his attempt on murdering Sasuke flashed through his mind. "I tried to kill him and failed." A ghost pain settled on the area where his kunai had pierced his hand. It tingled when he remembered how his friend had licked his palm.

Tsunade knew Naruto would never kill his friend, so it surprised her that he even attempted. It must have been hard for him.

"Whatever business he had in Demon country, he probably accomplished it because he left." _Without me_. He raised a hand, pressed the pads of his pointer and middle finger on his right temple and his thumb on his left temple and started massaging the throbbing area while his palm covered his eyes, giving him time to blink back the pearls of tears that gathered in his eyes.

_I made a decision. I let go of that hand._

Tsunade regarded her subordinate for few seconds before asking, "Did he hurt you?"

While he felt warm at the kindness evident in her voice, he mentally snorted at her question. Yes, Sasuke hurt him over and over again because the man, with all the pain that accumulated within him, could only hurt others. It wasn't a crime. It was logical and perhaps natural. He dropped his hand. "Old hag, did the old man ever mention anything in his documents about Itachi before he joined Akatsuki?"

"No, he didn't," she replied. "Why? Do you know something? Did Sasuke tell you something?"

Naruto wondered if his telling would change anything; would absolve Sasuke. He sighed. "He just told me to research about it if I want to understand," he lied while he mentally cursed Itachi. For a man who cared so much for his brother, he sure was making it difficult for him to save him.

A contemplative Tsunade said, "That must have something to do with his desire to obliterate Konoha." She looked at him, "Thanks for your hard work. You're dismissed."

Naruto nodded and trudged his way out.

"Shizune!" Tsunade said in a snap that made the kunoichi jump in surprise.

"Y-yes, Tsunade-sama?"

"No matter what, bring the elders here."

"Roger," Shizune replied while running out from the room.

Tsunade let out a deep sigh before nibbling her right thumb. She let out a sound of irritation. "Kakashi, you heard everything, right?" She heard a chuckle before one of the windows was slid open and Kakashi walked in.

Kakashi's smile melted from his face upon seeing his leader's dark scowl. "Things had gotten more difficult, ne Tsunade-sama?"

"I don't want to hear that from you."

"Do you want me to find and kill Sasuke on the spot?" Kakashi asked seriously.

"I'll send an ANBU team for that," she replied. "Our priority now is to protect Konoha in anticipation of his attack."

"But this isn't what worries you, isn't it? It's Naruto." Kakashi smiled when Tsunade glared at him.

Tsunade clicked her tongue, but she couldn't deny that Kakashi was right. She was worried about Naruto who was carrying too many burdens made by the Uchiha brat. For Naruto to have attempted to kill Sasuke for his mission...

"I'll take care of Naruto," Kakashi offered.

"I'll leave that to you, then," she replied dismissively.

_To cause you such pain, I'm sorry, Naruto._

**-SasuNaru is love-**

"What is the meaning of this, Tsunade?" Homura demanded. "What do you mean Sasuke Uchiha is still alive and now plans to destroy Konoha?"

"It means what it means, " Tsunade replied sharply.

Koharu snapped out from her contemplation and asked, "And Naruto came to report this to you after meeting Uchiha?"

The hokage tensed. "Are you implying that Naruto has become Sasuke's spy?" And although her anger over that false accusation was controlled, it was still being emanated from her frame.

"Think about it. Wouldn't that make sense considering how Naruto is obsessed with Sasuke?" She was about to speak more, but Tsunade had slammed her palm on her desk hard.

"Even if you're a village elder, I won't let you insult Naruto like that," she said icily, eyes blazing with fury. "Just so you know, he had attempted to kill Sasuke in his latest mission."

The two village elders looked surprised.

"Attempted?" Homura echoed. "That means that he failed. In any case, what is your proof that he really did kill his _best friend_?"

"His emotions," the hokage replied and at the silent inquiry from both of the elders, she explained, "He came to me with his eyes speaking of unimaginable grief when he told me what he did. To see him like that, would have even made the most pessimistic believe him."

The elders fell silent for few moments and when they spoke, it was not about Naruto.

"Assuming that what you said is true, then what is your plan, Tsunade?" Koharu asked.

"I'll send an ANBU team to eliminate Sasuke while preparing the village for his attack just in case the team fails to find or eliminate him. I'll be having a meeting with all the captains." Seeing that both of her guests were satisfied with her plan, she leaned back on her seat and asked what had been bothering her after her meeting with Naruto. "Is there something that I am not told about Itachi and the Uchiha clan's murder?" She didn't miss the sudden hardening of both the elders' faces and she knew they were hiding something.

Homura let out a long sigh and opened his mouth to speak about the secret they had carried for a long time. When his confession was over, Tsunade was pale and was too shocked to immediately speak. She knew reality wasn't a place for the naive, especially the shinobi world, but who would have thought? These people were horrible and their hearts rotten. However, instead of dealing with their actions, she decided to focus on the consequences of their actions... not for their sake, but for the sake of all those innocent people. Perhaps, this was why Naruto had chosen the village over Sasuke.

_It must have been hard, ne, Naruto?_

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Sakura drew Naruto in for an embrace, momentarily ignoring Kakashi who was sitting down on her teammate's couch. "Are you okay?"

"I think so," she heard Naruto reply, but she knew he was bottling up his feelings again and she tightened her embrace. If only, mere strength could squeeze out everything he felt. If only he would open up to her.

Going back to his seat, Naruto answered what Kakashi had asked him. "I'll stay here because I'm confident that the ANBU team will never find the bastard." He placed a hand on his stomach and for a moment, he wanted to tell Kakashi what an Uchiha was capable of doing, but in the end, he held himself back. He could handle it. He had a lot of time to research at the library. His eyes widened when it came to him that perhaps the reason why Sasuke wanted him to come with him was because of Kyuubi. His hands balled up into fists, which were shaking with restrained rage.

"-ruto?"

"Eh?"

"Are you okay?" Sakura asked him again while Kakashi was looking at him in a manner that seemed perspective to him. He got up and said, "I'm just tired. I think I'll go to sleep." Without waiting for their reply, he left, oblivious to the concerned look he was receiving.

_If only you'd open up, we could have done more than just watch you._

The general meeting happened and their preparations were done quietly and secretly so as not to alert the civilians. In cases in which preparations would catch the attention of the public, they would pass it off as just another renovation or improvement and the villagers would continue their daily activities. While all shinobis could feel the tension hanging in the air, the civilians who were kept in the dark were clueless.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Sasuke looked up from his task when Juugo and Suigetsu marched into his room carrying the stacks of scrolls he asked them to find and bring. Both of his male subordinates had returned from their missions earlier than he expected while Karin hadn't returned yet. He hoped that whatever was taking her so long, it wouldn't affect his plan.

"Where do you want us to put these things? Suigetsu asked.

Sasuke just indicated a place with his pointer finger.

"What's this for, Sasuke?" Suigetsu continued. There were scrolls which he had seen in Orochimaru's library. What was the Uchiha up to?

"That's for my Plan B."

"I didn't even know we had Plan A and a Plan B," Juugo uttered quietly but he remained nonplussed when Sasuke's gaze heavily settled on him.

Their leader smirked and while sheathing his sword which he had just finished cleaning, he said, "Now we do. Plan A has a high possibility of failing so let's focus on Plan B."

Suigetsu arched an eyebrow. He had spent enough time with their leader to know that he never spared time on anything that meant failure and yet... "If you know that Plan A is bound to fail then why are you still wasting your effort on it?"

The dark-haired man tilted his head backward. He didn't know why. He didn't want to think why. "That's none of your concern." Then he regarded them quietly, "Suigetsu, I need your expertise in killing."

Suigetsu smiled, as if he wasn't still wondering. "How many victims do you need?"

"Enough to please Manda."

Suigetsu made a face. Manda was a snake hard to please and because of that, he had to choose his victims carefully. So much for random killing. "Consider it done."

Sasuke watched him go before he turned his attention to Juugo. He held a letter to the man. "Please ask a bird to deliver this to Naruto Uzumaki." Without question, the other man nodded and took it.

Knowing that it would be delivered, Sasuke stood up. "I'll be taking my leave. I'll return the day after tomorrow. If Karin returns during my absence, inform her what we had discussed in our meeting this morning."

"Of course, I will," the usually quiet man replied and he watched as Sasuke disappeared into the shadows. He couldn't put his finger on it, but it seemed that his leader had changed subtly - a change which happened after he came back from the Demon Country. He wondered what had happened there to affect the indifferent man like this.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Naruto thrust his fist into the air as a punch, beads of sweat flying from his moving arm. From the corner of his eye, as he made a swift turn, he noticed that the small bird that had perched on the rock was still there, looking at him attentively. Now curious, he stopped his training and looked back at the bird.

The winged-animal, seeing it as his chance, immediately flew towards the blond, perched on his right shoulder and stuck his right leg out. Naruto arched an eyebrow. The bird wasn't a messenger bird, in fact, he lacked the qualifications to be one and yet, he was carrying what looked like a letter. He hurriedly unburdened the bird and unrolled the letter. What was written caused coldness to spread throughout his body.

_Dobe,_

_Beneath the Nakano temple, past the Tengu shrine, walk into that door. Follow the winding path and when you get there, you'll find what will lead you to me._

Naruto didn't have to think to know who the letter came from. There was only one who would call him that particular nickname and it made his heart pound crazily. Whether it was out of joy or fear, he didn't know. He looked around, checking if anybody was there. Once assured that there was no one, he looked at the letter again, letting his eyes scan the handwriting which had been familiar to him before crushing the letter and inserting it in his pocket.

He resumed his training, but he couldn't concentrate anymore. He was now thinking about what he could do or whether he should go or not. He settled his hand on his stomach. What if Kyuubi was the purpose of this meeting? A part of himself was concerned and another part wanted to see Sasuke once more, even if he is an enemy of Konoha.

In the end, it was his heart that had won and he clenched his fists, promising that this would be the last time. He was just going to say goodbye to the bastard who meant so much to him, almost too much.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Naruto had no problems on his way to Nakano temple or even on his way beneath the temple. Everything went smoothly until he was standing in front of the Tengu shrine. No matter how he looked and examined it, there was no door behind the Tengu. In fact, it was dead end. For more than fifteen minutes now, he had been on his hands and knees, looking for some sort of lever or anything that would make the door appear, but so far all he found were insects, dirt and stones.

Already frustrated and impatient to see the bastard, whom he planned to punch for the trouble he made him go through that day, he stepped on the shrine and looked at Tengu eye to eye. "Tell me where the key is," he demanded and when the statue remained quiet, he pressed their faces closer until his nose was pressing hard on Tengu's. It was in that moment, when the statue trembled, causing Naruto to lose his footing.

Rubbing his aching butt and feeling remorse thinking that he had been punished for desecrating a shrine, he was surprised to find a space between the shrine and the wall behind it. Until now, he had thought there had been no wall. He quickly stood up and inspected the wall, but there had been no door. He looked over his shoulder and found the door to be behind the statue's back.

Warily, Naruto started descending down the spiraling stone staircase, which didn't take very long since it was a rather short staircase. From then on, he followed the winding road. He came upon a small pond, and before it was a snake which looked more alive upon seeing him. The snake wasn't attacking him though, but looking at him and he knew, without a doubt, this was Sasuke's summon.

The snake started moving and Naruto immediately followed, making sure not to lose him. They walked around the pond and continued walking and what almost felt like an eternity because of the slope, they finally walked past the arched pillar made of stones. They walked deeper and he didn't know when, but his guide had left him. He couldn't see what was in front of him and was afraid to continue forward.

He almost jumped in surprise when he heard a deep, baritone voice say, "Hello, dobe." just as the torches around the place lit up with fire. In front of him, Sasuke stood, leaning against another door. "You didn't fail me." Sasuke told him and this time, he heard relief in the tone of his voice.

"I came here for my own reasons," he replied which made Sasuke arch an eyebrow. A tense silence hung over them, until by coincidence they uttered at the same time.

"Come with me." It was both a plea and an order.

"You know that I can't," both of them replied at the same time.

Naruto clenched his hands and locked gazes with Sasuke. He had to know the truth. "Is Kyuubi the reason why you want me to go with you?" His friend just regarded him with his face void of emotions.

"If I said I want you to come with me regardless whether you have Kyuubi or not, would you?" Sasuke asked back. When there was just silence from the blond, he asked again and this time louder. "Would you?"

Naruto looked away. He didn't know the answer to that question himself. He looked up when he felt the sudden distortion of space and found his friend lunging at him. Once Sasuke's hands harshly grabbed Naruto's upper arms, Naruto, in turn, reached out and grabbed the Uchiha by the shoulders. Rather than their fists clashing, desperate mouths sought each other and clashed instead.

They sucked and nibbled at the other's lips, unmindful that blood was being drawn. They thrust their tongue regardless whether the other was choking or not. Sasuke's hands were gripping Naruto's head fiercely while Naruto's fingernails were digging painfully into Sasuke's scalp. They broke apart to inhale deeply before diving in once again, hungrier than ever.

Naruto groaned into the kiss when he was slammed against the jagged wall, but it didn't stop him from sucking Sasuke's tongue while he clutched Sasuke's shoulders tight until his fingers were digging into his clothes and skin. His eyes fell half-mast at the tingling sensation. He could barely see the earth above them. He had one hand gripping Sasuke's butt, pulling him close, pressing their groins together causing his lover to let out a low and long moan.

It was Sasuke who moaned first, but it was Naruto who was the first to be stark naked. It was Sasuke who lowered himself as he nibbled, sucked and licked his way down on Naruto's body and the blond could only buck, tremble and moan while his fingers gripped dark hair and ended up pulling out a few strands.

Sasuke shivered, his senses being overwhelmed by Naruto's taste and warmth. He licked at his straining erection while his fingers massaged his entrance, causing the blond to clench his eyes shut at the sensations. "Sasuke," he panted.

It wasn't long until tanned legs gave way, but it didn't matter to Sasuke who immediately settled between those legs and pressed Naruto against the wall, plundering that sweet mouth.

Naruto leaned forward, but Sasuke slammed him harder against the wall, and his grip was tight too, the former was certain that marks would form, but he didn't care. He missed Sasuke. He hungered for his flesh and thirst for his fire. Sasuke tasted sweet and bitter and maybe, just maybe, this was what revenge tasted like. In any case, he was addicting. He pulled at his clothes. Distantly, he heard a ripping sound, but he didn't care and neither did Sasuke.

Sasuke slammed his forehead against Naruto's nape as he felt a hand wrapping around his erection, but what drove him absolutely wild was when the blond dragged his nails along the length. As a reaction to that erotic caress, his fingers dug into tanned skin, leaving half-moon marks on Naruto's broad shoulders.

Anger pulsated in their veins... anger and something else. An emotion that was strangely familiar... an emotion that had remained platonic until now.

All their energy was being redirected from fighting to this and their sadness was evaporating. No, it wasn't evaporating but just morphing into another form because the other was there and they were reduced to wanting and needing.

Their caresses burned. Their bodies ached with yearning. Their chests heaved. It was so damned hard to breath when the other was pressed this close... naked and hot. Although few minutes had just passed in touching each other, it felt like they had been sparring for hours straight.

Naruto pressed closer, demanding for more and Sasuke moved nearer, hungry for more. For every action one of them made, the other reacted.

Naruto couldn't afford to be gentle and slow, not when Sasuke was being this passionate... this hot. He leaned forward, licked Sasuke's collar bone before biting his left shoulder. It was at that moment that he realized that the Heaven seal was gone. He stared at the area before he latched his mouth on it, sucking tenderly.

Sasuke half-lifted Naruto to his lap before he locked gazes with the other. Understanding what those blue eyes were telling him, what they wanted, Sasuke sheathed himself into the blond's body. "Fuck, Naruto," he groaned, his body tightening with anticipation. His lust was getting the better of him to the point that he ended up moving without giving the blond time to adjust to his intrusion... to his thickness.

They started moving as one and the roughness they displayed was still there, causing pain and pleasure to each other. They knew they were hurting the other, but it was the pain that brought them together, that made the pleasure even more intense. They bit each other... left marks deeper than the ones they did during their last intimate session.

Naruto tightened around Sasuke as he pushed harder. Sasuke pulsated inside him while Naruto pulled him deeper. Naruto wrapped his legs around Sasuke's waist while Sasuke clutched his shoulders tight.

_More..._

They continued moving until they ceased to be two bodies and became one entity. Once more, there was silence as they synchronized with each other and it was beautiful.

It took longer than usual for both men to regain their composure and to steady their breathing. Strangely, when they met each other's eyes, they each let out a deep chuckle. Naruto reached out to brush against a particular area of Sasuke's left shoulder. "It's gone."

"What's gone?" he asked as he captured those fingers that were awakening too many sensitive nerves.

"The seal."

Sasuke's eyes turned a shade darker as he answered, "Itachi."

"I see." Secretly, Naruto's heart throbbed. He couldn't do anything to get rid of the seal, but Itachi managed. Itachi was strong... stronger than he thought him to be and it made surpassing him that much more difficult.

"Are you jealous?" Sasuke out of the blue, surprising the blond who replied, "I always wanted to be your brother."

"I told you I only have one brother and I killed him," Sasuke told him with his eyes full of guilt. However that guilt vanished when he added, "If you and I became brothers, I wouldn't want you this way."

Naruto blushed as he was reminded that Sasuke was still inside of him. It was both frustrating and embarrassing that he ended up asking Sasuke to come with him and have sex with him despite his status in Konoha instead of saying goodbye like he originally planned. Apparently, he still hadn't let Sasuke go; still hadn't chosen the village over him. He knew things were getting harder the deeper he got involved with Sasuke. He hated his indecisiveness. No, he wasn't being indecisive. He had made his choice, or to be exact, the two entities in him had, and their decisions were clashing. If only Sasuke would say yes. If only he could forget Konoha and say yes to his friend.

With his hand skimming on sweaty tanned back, Sasuke once again asked, "Come with me."

Naruto answered, "Konoha may mean nothing to you, but to me it does." He bumped the tips of their noses in an affectionate gesture. "Konoha is where I met you. Konoha is where I formed bonds." He let out something akin to a whimper when Sasuke's nails painfully scraped his back. "That hurts, bastard!" he growled in warning.

"I'm here, aren't I? So why do you keep living in the past?" an annoyed Sasuke demanded. The idiot was redefining idiocy to a new level. Why was he still clinging to the past? He wanted to be with him, right? So why was he being coy?

"It's not living in the past, dumbass! It's looking at things through its sentimental value!"

In reply, Sasuke slammed him against the wet ground.

"That hurt!" As a retaliation, he dragged his nails down the pale back, leaving red lines and causing obsidian eyes to narrow. "My bad, asshole," he said through gritted teeth. Seeing the disappointment in those eyes hurt him more and he lashed out in anyway he could. He wanted to hurt him as much as he was hurting him. It was just right. With this reasoning, he felt his actions were justified, even before he said, "I don't have your insensitivity to defect Konoha, nor your cruelty to pierce the chests of all the people I care about." Malice flashed through obsidian eyes. Before he could stop Sasuke, the latter had already dug his teeth into his right shoulder, drawing blood and causing a jolt of pain to travel up and down the his spine.

"Fuck you," he panted before retaliating.

And they were hurting each other with their teeth, nails and caresses. There was pain. Lots of pain, but strangely, there was pleasure too. A tingle of intense pleasure and it was addicting.

Sometime between their biting and clawing, they were bucking their hips in a quick tempo, their manhoods red and angry. They were straining against each other over and over again inflicting pain... offering mind-numbing pleasure because this was the only thing they had and the only thing they were free to give. For a limited amount of time.

_TBC_


	6. Avec

**Disclaimer: All Naruto characters belong to Kishimoto.**

**Warnings: SasuNaru, OOC and unbeta-read**

* * *

**Chapter 05: Avec**

Naruto stared, blue eyes bulging, unable to believe what Sasuke had done or the madness that was gripping him tight, crushing logic and reason.

"You can see it, right Naruto?" Sasuke asked, his voice had a tremor of danger that made it velvety.

He could see it. Vividly so. The threads of chakra that disappeared into his chest where his heart lay.

"If I step into Konoha for a reason other than crushing it, these threads will crush my heart."

"Bonds shouldn't lead anyone to self-destruction!" Naruto shouted at Sasuke, his words echoing all over the dark room of another Uchiha hideout which had become their rendezvous point rather than the place beyond the Tengu shrine.

'You should listen to yourself', a small voice quietly told him.

No, Naruto denied, he wasn't self-destructive unlike his friend in front of him. He wanted to save him because he wanted to be hokage.

Half-truth.

Fine! He wanted to save him because he wanted to be happy. However, whatever his reasons were for chasing the Uchiha avenger, he definitely wasn't walking the path of self-destruction. He could stop anytime he wanted. That was what he believed, stubbornly denying the fact that he lost that ability.

Unlike the blond, Sasuke remained calm and collected. He crossed his arms over his chest, the threads of his chakra imprisoning his heart once more invisible.

"If I abandon my plan," he started, and to him it seemed the blond suddenly held his breath. "Then I have nothing left." _Nothing to protect. Nothing to live for. Nothing to die for._ He who had lost everything even before he had understood the world around him... even before he had the strength to defend. He who destroyed the last thing he had treasured out of hatred, was brought by an illusion. He who was now clinging to the shadows of past, condemning himself to walk along the dunes of time and all because in the deepest part of his mind, he was scared to be meaningless...to disappear without leaving anything behind to mark his existence... his clan's existence. He had decided to revive the Uchiha in his own way. That was his main purpose.

"You have me," Naruto answered immediately. For a moment, when Sasuke looked like he was considering his response, he thought he had reached him after all the times he had opened his arms for this person.

"You could never be mine because Konoha owns you."

"You're wrong. I don't-"

"Then come with me."

Looking away, Naruto replied softly, "I can't."

Sasuke clenched his fists. They were back to their routine of pushing and pulling. He was so close to stomping his foot in frustration at this point. Why couldn't Naruto see? Why couldn't he just control Kyuubi whether Naruto would join him or not? What was holding him back from doing this crime? After all, this wasn't any different from thrusting a hand into that chest. "You do have a choice, Naruto."

"So do you," the blond snapped.

"I have no choice as long as I walk this path."

"Bullshit," he muttered, and he didn't care whether the bastard heard him or not. If he did, perhaps it would tell Sasuke how ridiculous he was sounding at the moment. Truth be told, he was desperate. This was now the fourth time he met with Sasuke since he returned to Konoha. Fourth time... yet his resolve was slowly crumbling. "_Yes, I'll come with you"_ was slowly forming inside his chest. He couldn't tell when this started happening, but he knew why. Whether it was a conscious or unconscious act, Sasuke was giving him a sneak peak of what it would be like if he'd choose him. Although they spent most of their time fighting over who should come with who and having sex. However, there were also moments when they could sit side by side in complete bliss. Not to mention that Sasuke had prepared this division of the hideout for their use. There was a cot good for two; there was a change of clothes and a towel for both of them and there were food provisions too. It was like they were living together as lovers... as a couple. And he believed that they could truly be together, an item, if Sasuke would just come home.

He followed Sasuke with his gaze and when he was close to the doorway, he asked loud enough to be heard, "Why are you making this so hard for us?"

Sasuke paused. The slight widening of his eyes was the only telltale sign that he was surprised. With his face slightly distorted in pain, he replied in a caustic tone, "There is no 'us', dumbass."

"I wish there was." Blue eyes slightly glazed over with pain as their focus suddenly took an interest in the floor beneath them.

The dark-haired man looked over his shoulder, face once again cold, "Keep wishing." Then he left, his bath towel almost brushing the ground and never looking back.

Naruto let out a shuddering sigh. He didn't know who to hate: his ego who talked big, or Sasuke, who managed to always hurt him, or himself who still wanted the man even though right now, he felt disgusted with his body upon seeing the evidence of Sasuke's possession of him. He leaned forward and buried his face into his hands, lost and confused.

_Why am I still chasing after him?_

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Sasuke bit his left thumb hard enough to draw blood and did the necessary hand signs for summoning. It wasn't long until ominous yellow eyes were peering down at him.

"Here's the third batch of the sacrifice." Sasuke coolly stated. He never understood why Manda demanded a sacrifice before and after doing what he asked him to do.

Manda spared a brief glance to his food before looking back at the last Uchiha. "So you're serious about crushing that village?" he asked in mockery. "Orochimaru failed, remember?" It pleased him to see the human getting tense over such information.

"I'm better than your previous master."

Manda never cared who was better than who. He never gave a damn about Orochimaru or any human who had a contract with his family. What mattered to him was how these summoners would treat his family and how they would act in front of him- the leader. And right now, the young human whom he barely acknowledged was implicitly calling himself his master in that infuriatingly insolent manner. When that cheeky human turned to leave, he slithered towards him to strike.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Stepping into his apartment, Naruto rolled his shoulders. Every part of his body ached especially "that" part. However, he knew that whatever bruises he got today would disappear overnight, unlike Sasuke, who would wear his marks for quite sometime, and he took pride in that. He almost missed a step when he saw Sakura on his couch, his friend was stirring. When sleepy green eyes held his gaze, it was only then did he remember that he was suppose to meet her an hour ago.

"Where have you been, Naruto?" Sakura asked as she straightened up.

He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head and with an idiotic grin, he apologized. "I had trained for three hours and since I had time to spare, I went to the hokage mountain and I fell asleep," he explained.

"You were there all this time?"

He nodded enthusiastically. "From the start."

"From the start," she echoed.

"Right after training," he added as a reminder. "I should take a shower," he lied. After all, he already took one with Sasuke. His cheeks flushed when he remembered what he did to Sasuke during that brief moment together.

"You're not hiding anything, right?" Sakura asked while the blonde made a beeline to his room. "You're not lying to me, are you?"

Naruto almost faltered in his step. He let out a chuckle which came out dry. "Why would I?"

"Yeah, why would you?" Sakura questioned with her eyes downcast, she continued, "I went to those places, Naruto."

The blond went pale. He closed his eyes while he stifled his panic. Sakura would never know. Nobody would know. For Sasuke's sake. He continued walking, pretending that he didn't hear his friend.

Sakura became a flurry of movements and by the time she realized what she did, she already had her arms wrapped around the blond's waist as she hugged him from behind.

"S-Sakura?"

"I miss you," she murmured loud enough to be heard. They missed him because recently, he seemed to be disappearing frequently and missing appointments or arriving late.

With guilt in his eyes, the blond briefly regarded the porcelain arms wrapped around his torso before he swallowed back all of the guilt he felt to flippantly ask, "Is this a start of a love confession?" Of course, he expected her to bark at him for thinking such a thing, but she remained quiet, and for a moment he thought that she really was going to confess her love, until he felt the sudden tightening of her arms around his torso, and breathing became an issue for him.

"You're going to break my bones!" he told her as her grip continued to tighten. He flailed his arms and legs when she lifted him up off the ground.

"How dare you joke around when I'm worried about you!" Sakura growled. Just as quickly as she held him in a tight grip, she let him go. "Fine," she said in resignation while moving away from him to leave. "If you don't want to tell me, then I understand."

Naruto, right then and there, decided to tell her.

"Sakura, wait."

And she did.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Sasuke smirked, not the least bit surprised that he was being attacked because this had become a pattern for Manda. In a split second, blue and white charged electricity dangerously crackled around him. Manda knew that while it may not kill him, it would hurt him. However, would the boy do so when he needed him for his revenge? Putting more importance to the order of his instincts rather than of his ego, he stopped a hairsbreadth away from the human.

Sasuke regarded the animal over his shoulder. Sharingan versus golden eyes. "You can't kill me," he stated indifferently and it was his indifference that made the snake feel like he was being mocked.

"Perhaps not today, but someday," the snake replied.

"Maybe," Sasuke retorted dismissively before he left.

Manda stared at his back knowing that there would be a time when he would catch him off guard, and when that time comes, he would take his time eating him. However, for the meantime, he'd settle for the sacrifices.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

As Sakura and Naruto made their way to his room, the latter was completely oblivious to the victory dance the former was doing in her mind. She couldn't believe that her friend fell for that, but then again, this was Naruto. Although guilty, she believed this was for his sake.

"This is my reason," Naruto told her when they reached his table.

Sakura looked down and her emerald eyes widened to see the notes. She looked at the blond then back to the little slips of paper. "What is the meaning of this, Naruto?" she asked, obviously baffled.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Sasuke walked along the damp hallway, leaving behind the stench of blood and death that came from the area where Manda would have another batch of his sacrifices. The snake was spiteful, questioning his orders and threatening him, but he was certain that as long as he would meet the number of sacrifices Manda demanded, that the snake would keep his end of the bargain. If only his relationship with Naruto was similar to theirs.

He snorted at the thought. He continued walking, the flickering candles throwing long, eerie shadows all over the place.

"I take it he was satisfied with today's batch," Suigetsu said the moment an emotionless Sasuke joined them.

Sasuke didn't bother replying to Suigetsu's comment while he walked to his seat. He made a move to grab his mug, but realized that it was close to Karin, so he picked the scroll closest to it instead.

He heard Suigetsu snicker and felt the tension between him and Karin go up a notch, very close to the point of exploding. Before a fight would break out, he addressed the kunoichi, "What do you have, Karin?"

The kunoichi suddenly lost all traces of her anger when she heard the question asked in a cool voice. She focused her attention on their leader and adjusted her spectacles, making her look too calculating. "I finally contacted Orochimaru's spy in Konoha. It would seem like Konoha is anticipating your attack by beefing up their defense without it being obvious to the villagers."

Sasuke nodded. He expected Konoha to do so, just as he anticipated Naruto to inform Tsunade about his fake death. Konoha was preparing itself, and although he wished to catch them off guard, he thought this was better.

While the excitement of having a fight hummed in his veins, he couldn't ignore the questions that hammered themselves against his skull, demanding answers. If Konoha was getting ready, why was Naruto not actively participating? Then it hit him. Naruto was. By meeting with him, he was keeping an eye on him at the same time, trying to get information from him. Cold fury settled inside him. Naruto wasn't a calculating person, but he was a shinobi, and as a shinobi, he should accomplish his mission by any means necessary, even if he had to use his body to get it done. He slammed a fist on the table, surprising the other three occupants.

The three looked at their leader who stormed off in the middle of their meeting. Juugo shrugged his shoulders. Suigetsu gave a grimacing smile. Karin readjusted her eyeglasses while she wondered if she said something wrong in her report.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

When Naruto reached their meeting place, Sasuke was sheathing his sword, ending his little self-training session.

"You're late," Sasuke greeted him. Despite his anger yesterday and the urge to pierce the blond with his weapon, he remained calm. He had no right to accuse Naruto of betraying and using him because he was also guilty of those things. Both of them were using the other.

"I had other things I needed to do aside from meeting you," Naruto retorted.

"If you're busy then why come here at all?"

Naruto wanted to know the answer to that question too. When he didn't reply, the dark-haired missing-nin turned and walked towards their place. "Go home, dobe."

When there was no other set of footsteps echoed after his, sadness gripped Sasuke's heart. The idiot really had gone home. He settled on a mat-covered rock that had become his make-shift seat and carded a hand through his sweat-dampened hair. He let out a long sigh then looked up when he felt another presence in the room. His heart skipped a beat to see him. He hadn't gone home and he was wet. He carried the scent of the heat that rose from the ground at the first impact of rain to the sun-kissed earth.

Naruto who had stood outside until the skies started crying stated with feigned irritation, "It's raining. I can't go home."

Sasuke clicked his tongue, feigning annoyance. "Whatever." He looked away when the blond treaded his fingers through his wet hair before shaking his head, beads of water flying through the air.

Quickly and quietly, Naruto changed his wet clothes to the yukata Sasuke provided for his use. After that he grabbed a cup of instant ramen, took the kettle from the fire it was sitting on and poured hot water into the cup.

When did he start moving around this place so comfortably like he was in his own home?

_Dammit!_, he cursed. How low could he get?

He looked at his cup of ramen and sighed. This wouldn't do. He always believed that thinking depressing thoughts while eating ramen would be a desecration. So he mentally shook his head to clear his mind before partaking the delicious noodles.

He stopped mid-slurp when he looked up and found his friend staring at him intensely. He swallowed thickly and extended his cup of ramen and chopsticks to him. Sasuke hesitated for a moment before he took what was offered to him. He had one slurp before he returned the cup back to Naruto. He took the noodles yet again when the blond offered it to him. He had another slurp and was about to return it to his friend when the said friend left his place and stood beside him. Without a word, he moved to the side so Naruto could sit beside him.

Side by side, without having any conversation, they shared one cup of ramen, then another until they ended up consuming three cups. Even then, the comfortable silence remained.

Sasuke took a sideway glance at his silent companion. There was no mistaking it. He wanted Naruto to come with him not because he had Kyuubi inside of him, but because...because... How would he explain it? He couldn't explain it in words, and because of this, he would never be able to reach out to Naruto like he wanted to. However, it didn't mean that he would never use Kyuubi if he was ever to be pushed into a corner. He was getting confused because of the person beside him and yet, he couldn't stop himself from seeking him out. There was just something about Naruto that attracted him. He stilled, unable to believe that he was attracted to the blond and yet, it made sense. This need... this desire... He felt these because he was attracted to the blond. He took another glance at Naruto before slowly leaning against him.

Naruto froze when he felt the weight against him then relaxed when Sasuke's warmth started seeping into his clothes. He slightly leaned against him as well, mentally sighing at the peace that surrounded them. If only they could stay like this, but that was a wish that could never be granted. However, they had tonight. Only tonight.

For the rest of the night, they leaned against one another. While this was not their body's most intimate embrace, it was intimate enough to bind the two souls together.

_**TBC**_


	7. acciaccatura

**Standard disclaimer applies**

**Warning: SasuNaru, yaoi, OOC and unbeta-read**

**Author's note: We apologize for the delay, as usual. Thanks to notperfectXbutXhonestcritic**** for the corrections.**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Acciaccatura**

"When are you going to capture the Kyuubi?" Sasuke's question echoing in Akatsuki's west hideout.

''Why are you so impatient?" Madara asked indifferently and wasn't even affected when those piercing black eyes focused on him with a calm malice. So much like Itachi yet so different.

"That Jinchuuriki... I need him out of the way."

"He's weak. All Konoha shinobis are weak."

The younger Uchiha snorted, "You don't know him. He has a different power and I'm not talking about Kyuubi here."

"We are Uchihas, powerful beyond anyone's comprehension." Madara leaned against his chair, arms crossed over his chest. He wasn't bragging, but stating a fact that was recognized throughout the years. "Besides, I plan to capture him after your attack. By then, he will be exhausted. Everyone will be too exhausted to protect him so it's easier." He noticed the scowl that settled on the lad's face. He fell quiet for few moments before suggesting, "Why don't you do it?"

"My mission is to crush Konoha, not capturing its tailed beast for you."

"Is that why you're meeting with the jinchuuriki in one of the clan's hideouts?" He knew that Sasuke was volatile, but nothing had prepared him for his descendant's reaction. It was only his quick reflex that saved him from Itachi's Amaterasu that had been planted on those cursed eyes.

"That is none of your business," Sasuke told him coldly, eyes flashing and tomoes swirling dangerously.

Madara became wary and beneath his indifferent demeanor, he was tensed. Like Itachi, he was aware of the lad's potential to be stronger than any Uchiha... even him. "I don't know what you're doing with him in that place," he told him, but he had a good idea what. "I only told Zetsu to follow you after that time when you didn't show up for our meeting. It was a one time thing."

Sasuke stood up and stared down at him. "Regardless what I do with him, I will not fail in my revenge. You better remember that." Then his form wavered like a heat wave before disappearing completely, leaving his ancestor frowning. Madara knew he had won the boy over, but perhaps, he needed to keep him on a tight leash, but was that a good idea?

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Having anticipated the attack, Hinata moved two steps backward just as Neji delivered a blow with his palm. However, that was not the end of his attack and the Hyuuga heiress knew it. With one hand, she flipped backward but her opponent was behind her in a flash so she threw herself up in the air. Mid-air, she saw Naruto being led by one of their servants towards the training ground. Her heart skipped a beat.

Neji upon seeing her gaze diverted away from him, took that as a chance to deliver another attack. Contrary to his expectation, she managed to block it and she was even able to land gracefully on the ground. She took her stance, but Neji just stood erectly while regarding her.

Neji looked at the servant and so did Hinata. The servant bowed to them before addressing him, "You have a guest, Neji-sama." A pair of calm lilac eyes regarded the blond who seemed to be agitated before they zeroed in on Hinata.

"Let's take a short break, Hinata-sama," he said, made a slight bow and walked towards his guest.

Naruto immediately grinned at Neji who just nodded. He sat beside his quiet friend and held a scroll towards him. The other man just regarded the scroll, but he didn't make a move to receive it.

"It's a technique," the blond explained.

There was a slight creasing of Neji's forehead. Was Naruto learning another technique? That wasn't new to him. It had become a pattern for the blond to learn techniques every time there was a big battle looming at the horizon. However, he knew that except for the Kage Bunshin no jutsu, all of his techniques were learned by close supervision and word of mouth.

Neji finally took the scroll and unrolled it.

"I showed this to Sakura," Naruto told him. He ignored the guilt that tugged his heart when he remembered that he showed this to her as his secret. "There were ancient characters being used, but she couldn't read them."

Neji scanned the writing and just as the blond said, there were a lot of ancient scripts and they were almost unreadable. He read them carefully and the further he got, the more he realized what the technique was all about. He looked at Naruto, "Do you know what-"

The blond nodded.

"Why?"

And the blond looked away, keeping his mouth shut. Neji sighed, but in the face of dilemma, he made a decision which he thought was right. He chose to tell Naruto rather than have the blond perform this technique by himself and end up killing himself. "No one in Konoha can perform this technique because this is a sacred one. A priestess-"

"A priestess?" Naruto echoed and a name came to his mind.

_Shion._

His lips curled in a cat-like grin that made Neji wonder what he was thinking.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Naruto looked up from the stew he was stirring the moment he felt Sasuke walk into their cave. He let out a snort to find the scowling man dripping wet from head to foot.

"You're early," Sasuke told him in a slightly irritated voice while he wiped away the strands of hair that were plastered to his face.

"I didn't want to be caught in the downpour," he replied. "Rainy season sucks."

"Hn."

Naruto followed him as he moved around the area. He didn't even look away when Sasuke started peeling his wet clothes from his lithe body. He licked his dry lips seeing more portions of pale skin. His blue eyes slightly widened in pleasure to see his marks staining that alabaster skin. He leaned his head against the palm of his left hand, lips quirking in a smile while he wondered what Sasuke's subordinates would say if they saw their leader's body carrying the marks of another person.

"Stew is ready, bastard," he said, his voice slightly thick.

Like always, they had a quiet dinner. That was until Naruto stated, "You're going to die, Sasuke."

Sasuke paused in his chewing to cooly regard him. With an eyebrow quirked, he asked in an almost amused tone, "Yeah? Why is that?"

The blond gave him an irritated look. "In case you've forgotten, you're going to attack Konoha." He took a more serious look as he continued, "The village is ready, Sasuke. All preparations were completed before I left to come here. I saw the defense. I saw everything and even you will never manage to leave Konoha alive."

Sasuke put down his bowl and really looked at Naruto. "Why are you telling me all of this, Naruto? Isn't this confidential?" The blond looked away from him, but Sasuke had seen the guilt and he wondered why he was going this far for him. "Or are you telling me all of this, thinking that I'll tell you what I plan to do?"

Naruto whipped his head around to glare daggers at him and those blue eyes of his... Oh God! They were so full of anger and hurt. "Are you saying that I'm using you?" he asked quietly, a complete opposite of the ferocity in this eyes.

Sasuke straightened up and his eyes were boring into Naruto's, no longer accusing, but believing that he was using him. "Aren't you?"

With that single reply, all the frustration, depression, anger, confusion and hurt joined as one and reach their crescendo and it was that reason that propelled Naruto to throw himself over Sasuke and swung his left fist for his first punch.

Sasuke couldn't elude or deflect the attack and in a second, he saw stars while the right side of his jaw throbbed in pain. He tasted blood too. Even before he could completely see, he swung his arm and he let out something akin to a shout when he hit something. But even then, Naruto didn't budge. He was still straddling him, gripping his yukata.

"Fuck, Sasuke. I told you something that shouldn't be told to an enemy and you accused me of what? You don't trust me. You never trusted me from the very beginning!" he screamed, his voice echoing around the place, drowning out the sounds of rain outside.

This time, Sasuke grabbed a fistful of his shirt and pushed them over. "Aren't I right?" he screamed back. "Your comrades were preparing while you... you being very protective of Konoha, spent your time with me, having sex with me- your enemy!" His words stung even to his ears. Were their meetings all about sex? What about those- His grip on Naruto tightened. He hated him. Hell, he even hated himself. Where was the line between friend and lover? Comrade and enemy? Brother and traitor?

Naruto took a deep breath and let out a shaky breath.

It hurt to be accused, but what hurt more was the fact that Sasuke didn't trust him. Why was he still fighting for this guy? Why was he still trying for him? He really was an idiot. An idiot with an obsession.

Sasuke pressed on even though the answer was already written in those eyes. He wanted, no, needed to get away from Naruto and all the things he provoked in him. Naruto was a distraction. A distraction that caused him trouble.

Naruto looked at him and his heart almost stopped. Itachi...

_It's not about techniques and strength. A ninja should have the ability to make the right decisions and choices_, Jiraiya once told him. _If you're going to be a ninja, you have to be smarter._

And his reply had been, _If that's what being smart is, I'd rather stay stupid forever._

And in his confrontation with Sasuke's brother, the latter had said, _I'm asking you what you'd do if Sasuke were to attack Konoha... If that would happen would you be able to stop him even if it meant killing him? Could you weigh his life against Konoha?_ It was obvious to Naruto that Itachi didn't want Sasuke to be killed, but if that was the way... Itachi had chosen the village over his brother then.

_I'd protect Konoha and find a way to stop Sasuke without killing him._

._.. There are times when a ninja must make painful choices._ Itachi had spoken from his experience. Naruto didn't know it then, but even if he did, his answer would have been the same.

_But there's no choice, I won't bend my words. That's what being a ninja means to me._

Itachi had smirked. He remembered it vividly. Back then he thought Itachi's tone was full of mockery, belittling his words. Now, however, he realized that it wasn't mockery, but relief. It hit him then that Itachi had believed him... trusted him even to save his precious little brother.

Except that he couldn't do it; couldn't keep his word. The acceptance of it brought self-disgust and made bile rise up to the back of his throat. Itachi had been right. He was still a child who talked of nothing but dreams.

In one attempt, he threw Sasuke off of him with a cry and ran, leaving a very confused Sasuke. "Hey, Naruto!" the dark-haired man shouted after him before giving chase.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Sakura straightened when she saw Naruto dashing out of the cave. Finally, she thought because she was tired sitting on a branch under the pouring rain. She scowled when the blond stumbled on fours and remained like that. Worry gripped her when she realized that he was vomiting.

She immediately rose to her feet just as Naruto staggered towards the nearest tree to rest. She was about to jump when another figure dashed out from the cave.

The streak of lightning showed the man's identity, Sakura could do nothing but gasp.

_S-Sasuke?!_

Was he attacking Naruto? She believed it to be so, until the missing-nin kneeled in front of the blond and gripped his shoulders.

"Naruto?" an oblivious Sasuke murmured, voice thick with concern. "Hey, dobe. Dobe, look at me."

And Naruto did, but all he saw was Itachi. Dammit! He had trained a lot, but he was still useless... still weak. "Sasuke..." he breathed.

Nothing could prepare Sakura to see Sasuke leaning forward and pressing his lips against Naruto's.

_No way!_

She expected Naruto to explode, but the blond wrapped his arms around Sasuke and kissed back instead.

_What is the meaning of this, Naruto?_

Sasuke moaned and when he tried to move away, the tanned hand on his nape pulled him back. Then they were tilting their heads, deepening their desperate kiss. They were breathing into each other's mouths, drinking rain and tasting the other's sweetness. Sharing the other's pain.

With heavy breathing, they pulled away. Sasuke brushed his lips against a left tanned cheek and tasted saltiness.

"Naru-" he stopped short upon seeing Naruto pressing the heels of his hands against his eyes. His chest tightened. Naruto was indeed crying. Was his accusation that painful? He pried those hands away and in a rare display of affection, he pressed a kiss on both eyes then brought his mouth to Naruto's right ear.

"There's no need to cry, usuratonkachi," he whispered between nips then he flicked his tongue to trace the shell of his ear.

Although Naruto shivered at Sasuke's voice and caresses, he was far away from Sasuke, mentally. The face that filled his mind at the moment was Itachi. Why did he feel this intense guilt? He hadn't promised Itachi anything, right?

_I won't bend my words. That's what being a ninja means to me._

Dammit! He did. In his own way, he did. He was stupid.

_And useless_, a voice told him.

_And weak_, another one added.

Those voices were ganging up on him until his self-loathing, disappointment, exhaustion and guilt blended into one sentiment that rushed up past his lips.

"Kill me."

And Sasuke froze while his world completely stilled. Then as quickly as it had stopped, it resumed, but the blond's words were pulsating in his head and humming in his veins. Desperation and the fear of losing someone again clawed sharply within him, almost making him dizzy. "What are you saying, dobe?" he growled. He tilted the blond's head and saw how distant those blue eyes were. _You're not with me._ He held his face in his hands and murmured fiercely, "Where are you looking at?" His eyes stung in a very strange way.

Blue eyes flickered to a focus and zeroed on him. _Sasuke..._ With trembling hands, Naruto reached up and cupped his friend's face. "Sasuke," he breathed, fanning pale skin.

"I'm here." _With you._

While he didn't say the last two words, they hung heavily above them.

_But you won't be for long._

Then they pulled each other's heads and crushed their lips for an open-mouthed kiss.

Sakura pressed her hand harder on the trunk of the tree she was hiding, unconsciously leaving a mark. She couldn't believe the scene playing in front of her. Her heart throbbed. Did they mean so little to Naruto that he sold them to Sasuke? Was this what betrayal felt like? Bitter and burning?

No, her inner Sakura growled in denial. Naruto was never good in betraying someone and if he did, he only betrayed himself. Always himself.

Watching them desperately clinging unto the other like this, she realized that this was Naruto's secret and not the scroll he showed to her. This was Naruto's lie. His treason against Konoha.

With Naruto's shirt bunched against his armpits, Sasuke drew a circle around one nipple with the tip of his tongue before enclosing said nipple with his mouth while his left hand was busy showering attention on the other nipple. His right hand had long disappeared into Naruto's pants... into his boxers where his three fingers were buried into the blond's cavern. The slickness of that passage made desire sing louder in his veins and the tightening of the muscles around his fingers made his cock twitch. Oh, God. It didn't help that Naruto's tongue... he groaned helplessly.

Naruto let out a soft gasp, blue eyes darkening more at the continuous stream of hot pleasure that flowed through. He raised himself slightly higher to give Sasuke more access. His pants was getting tighter and tighter, but the pressure from the tightness was welcome. However, he wanted more, especially when he was so close; when Sasuke was with him.

"Sasuke," he whispered against the man's swollen lips. "Close... so close."

Sasuke swallowed back his hungry moan to reply, "Shall we? Now?"

Their eyes locked together and Sasuke ended up answering his own question. "Fuck, yeah." He hurriedly pushed Naruto's pants and boxers away while the blond untied Sasuke's obi and parted his yukata in a flash and tugged his boxers down.

Sasuke dragged him onto his lap and when their erections kissed each other, a strained moan erupted from their chests. It would be so satisfying to rub their slick and angry arousals together. The temptation was so strong that Naruto had to clench Sasuke's shoulders tight and gritted his teeth while Sasuke resisted the urge by murmuring, "Not now" over and over again.

Although there was a good distance between her and them, Sakura still managed to see Sasuke's erection disappearing into Naruto and a hand went up to her mouth to stifle her gasp. She couldn't take her eyes away from them, even though she wanted to. Oh God! How much she wanted to. When they started moving, tears gently fell from her eyes. What was the name of this feeling that was gripping her?

_Abandonment._

Sasuke wrapped an arm around Naruto's waist in order to gain more momentum for their feverish movements. He tilted his head slightly to look at the blond and ended up staring at him.

Naruto whose eyes were clenched tight.

_So beautiful._

Naruto whose lips were swollen.

_So tempting._

Naruto whose lips were slightly parted to cater his lungs' demand for more air.

_So seductive._

Naruto whose face was filled with pleasure he created.

_So breathtaking._

Naruto...

_Mine._ And it wasn't because, Madara promised to give him Kyuubi.

Before he knew it, he had guided tanned arms around his shoulders. When blue eyes stared at him in surprise, he just arched an eyebrow.

Naruto let out a short chuckle. "Better," he panted. "Much, much better," he murmured while he lowered his head and Sasuke could only moan his reply into the demanding kiss while being swallowed by the blond's heat and scent, completely oblivious to the emerald eyes that was looking at them with so much pain.

_Loss._

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Emerald eyes instantly fluttered open and Sakura sat up from her bed. When she did, teardrops fell on her hands and she gripped the edges of her blanket.

It had been just yesterday when she saw Naruto and Sasuke together and yet the heaviness of her heart hadn't lightened at all. Right now, she couldn't face Naruto... especially when his pleasure-contorted face was still fresh in her mind.

What could she do? Her lips pursed. She feared for him. Only execution awaited Naruto if they would find out about this and she was certain that Tsunade, no matter how personally she favored him, would approve the punishment. No, she couldn't allow things to turn out like that. She couldn't afford to lose another teammate. Not this time.

She sighed and slipped out from her bed. Until she couldn't bring herself to talk with him, she would just have to cover for him in her own way.

She paled when another image of Naruto arching his body while Sasuke feasted on him came to her mind. She gripped her head and shook it.

"Sakura?" came her mother's voice from the doorway. The younger Haruno looked up and owlishly blinked at her mother who also blinked owlishly at her. Rubbing her nape, she let out a dry and sheepish chuckle.

The older woman could only roll her eyes. Sometimes, she doubted her daughter's sanity.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

"Shion-sama," one of the servants voice filtering through the wooden blinds that surrounded her bed.

"What is it?" she said while yawning.

"A letter from Konoha."

"Hand it over to me."

The servant, with his head bowed, raised the blinds and extended the scroll to her. The moment she took it, he immediately retreated back. Because his eyes were cast down, he didn't see the young priestess untying the scroll hurriedly or the smile that crossed her lips upon seeing the name of the sender.

The letter was short. It only stated that the blond had a favor to ask from her and the minor part of that favor was for her to go to Konoha as soon as possible.

She didn't bother to ponder what the favor was. As long as she could be useful for him, then it didn't matter.

Sensing that the servant was still there, she said, "I'd like to reply to this letter first before eating breakfast and inform the officials and regents that I'll leave for Konoha in two days time."

"Right away, Shion-sama."

_I'm coming, Naruto._

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Naruto's lips curled in a sleepy smile when he opened his eyes and found himself looking at Sasuke's sleeping face. So breathtaking. Itachi had been right when he said that Sasuke was pure. So vulnerable yet last night he was the one who was vulnerable. Sasuke never asked him what made him cry. Perhaps he had an inkling that he wouldn't tell him so he just leave it like that.

Last night too had been...

He bit his lower lip so as not to smile too much when he remembered that Sasuke allowed him to wrap his arms around his shoulders. And it certainly wasn't a fluke because when they had a second round, he did it again.

He didn't know what made Sasuke do it and the significance of said action, but he didn't care because he was happy.

He closed his eyes, ready to sleep once more until he remembered that he had a mission orientation. He sat up immediately, accidentally upsetting the arm that was comfortably flung over his waist.

"What the hell is your problem, dobe?" Sasuke growled in irritation, not the least bit happy to be awakened.

"I have a meeting with the old hag and I am running late," Naruto replied.

"If you are, then just be late."

"Very funny, asshole," Naruto bit out while he hurriedly dressed up.

"Two days from now?" Sasuke drawled while he sleepily looked at the blond.

"Can't." With sarcasm thick in his voice, he explained, "Thanks to you a lot of jounin and ANBU aren't allowed to leave the village, thus chuunin are sent to do some of their missions."

"Chuunins?" Sasuke echoed, an eyebrow arched.

The blond let out an irritated sigh. "Chuunins and genins like me... bastard."

Sasuke's lips curled in a satisfied smirk.

"Four days from now, let's meet."

"Yeah, let's."

Feeling mischievous, Naruto leaned towards Sasuke to give him a quick peck on the lips before disappearing.

Sasuke could only blink in reaction.

_Stupid._

**-SasuNaru is love-**

An annoyed Tsunade tapped a finger on against her desk, already tired of waiting. Her dark scowl deepened. How long was Naruto going to make her wait? More importantly, where the hell was the idiot?

She growled. She had enough of this stunt and decided that she would not tolerate his tardiness anymore.

Tsunade perked up when the doorknob was turned from the outside. She smirked. When the door was pushed open, she tensed and lunged forward for an unrestrained attack.

"Naruto," she growled out.

Honey-brown eyes widened and so did emerald eyes.

With an effort, Tsunade pulled back while Sakura quickly moved to the side. With their chests heaving, they regarded each other.

Tsunade clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, "It's just you, I see," she stated dismissively while moving back to her chair.

Judging by what happened earlier and Tsunade's barely controlled anger, she didn't have to ask to know that Naruto hadn't arrived yet and she had a pretty good guess where he was. She mentally sighed.

"He's training harder recently so this meeting must have slipped from his mind," Sakura said and she didn't back down when Tsunade glared at her.

"There's more to being a shinobi than training. I'm sure you're aware of this."

"But, Tsunade-sama, he's training harder because he wants to protect Konoha from Sasuke," she pointed out. Did she herself believe that? "He's getting stronger for the village." Which one was the truth and which one was a lie? When did she start losing her comprehension on things? When did she falter in her decision-making? When would she start regretting for doing this for Naruto?

_Why am I doing this?_

"What's the purpose of strength if one's decision making is poor?"

_Because... because Naruto is... He is-_

Sakura slightly lowered her gaze. When she decided to cover for Naruto, was she the one who decided or was it her ego that was swayed by emotions? Rather than answering Tsunade's question which was obviously a rhetorical one, Sakura held out the clipboards. "I need your signature on these request papers."

Tsunade wordlessly reached a hand.

While Sakura stepped out from the building, Naruto slid into the hokage office through a window. The shaking of building while Tsunade lashed out to her most errant subordinate was the strongest so far since her incumbency.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

A few hours later, Shizune burst into Tsunade's quiet office.

"Tsunade-sama, I have good news."

That alone made the day a bit promising to a very drained Tsunade.

Unbeknownst to Konoha intelligence division, Sasuke received the same news.

"The Kazekage agreed to send shinobi to Konoha under the program of Military Exercise," Juugo reported. "Of course, he's part of the team to be sent."

"That's not surprising," Suigetsu commented, "because he's fond of that blond loudmouth."

"The high priestess of the Demon Country is planning to visit Konoha," Karin said, relaying the report she had just received from their contact.

A dark elegant eyebrow arched. "And what? Seal us away?" Sasuke asked sarcastically.

"She'll go to see one Naruto Uzumaki whom she has her eyes on."

Suigetsu was the only one who noticed the darkening of their leader's eyes and because he loved playing with danger, he said, "Even _our otokage_ is interested in him."

Despite her intelligence, Karin missed the hidden meaning behind the statement and assumed the present particle to be a mistake on the idiotic man. "I heard about that, but Orochimaru-sama had his eyes set on Sasuke-kun as they should be." She gave their leader a seductive look which was ignored.

Suigetsu rolled his eyes and murmured, "Idiot."

Juugo just watched the seething Karin, waiting for that moment when she would attack their flippant co-member. Before she could, a dark aura flowed from their leader, silently warning them.

Dark eyes focus on Suigetsu. "Enough of that silly idea." Then addressing his team he said, "I know few ways to delay them." And the confident smile that graced his lips told his three subordinates that whatever his plan for delay was, it would be successful.

"When are we going to move out?" Juugo asked.

"Eleven days from now."

All of them nodded.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Sasuke regarded the mess that was Naruto. The blond looked haggard, exhausted and he had few rips on his jacket. With mocking eyes, he said, "The mission was too much for you."

Naruto scowled. "Just so you know, I kicked their asses hard."

A knowing smile crossed the pale man's lips. He could sense it. Even in this distance, he could smell it- the residue of Kyuubi's chakra. Unconsciously, his gaze intensified. He didn't stop wanting it.

_If only it wasn't you._

"And?" he drawled. "You hurriedly came here because you missed me."

"Keep telling yourself that," Naruto retorted before he stood in front of his friend.

Naruto looked down. Sasuke gazed up. Their eyes locked while they silently watched each other.

"Before I left for my mission, I received word from Gaara. Sasuke, you'll be outnumbered."

His friend just snorted. "Being outnumbered doesn't mean defeat. Besides, I will kill Madara after so I can't die."

"Why don't you kill him first? That loser is just using you."

"He isn't. It just happens that our goal is the same. And to answer your question, Konoha's annihilation takes precedence." Sasuke stood up. "Dobe, I won't tell you my strategy and tactics, but believe me when I say that my revenge on the village is hell." He didn't miss how those blue eyes went dull. Naruto was withdrawing from him.

Naruto's throat constricted. He pitied his friend for the monster that he had become, but the more he wanted to leave him, the more he wanted to be with him so when Sasuke pressed a kiss on his neck, he didn't move away. He welcomed it and deep inside, he hated himself for it.

Sasuke savored all the reaction he could draw from the blond because it just showed how the latter was attached to him and how he enjoyed his attention. However, subconsciously, he hated himself for touching Naruto like this... for craving him too much. He was utterly obsessed and so was Naruto. And when their obsession clashed and joined as one, there was nothing but utter madness. However, it was in their mad world, that Sasuke felt at peace and unburdened except today because today, he was the only one who had an orgasm, making the sexual act less intimate. Despite his post coital bliss, he felt strangely empty.

_I don't like this kind of loneliness._

**TBC**

* * *

For those who are wondering who Shion is, Shion appears in the first Naruto Shippuden Movie.


	8. Feroce

Standard disclaimer applies.

As stated in the previous chapters, this is SasuNaru and yaoi. In addition, there is a huge chances of OOC and much to our apology, this is unbeta-read.

The reason for the delay of update is not because of our procrastination but because, we kept on missing each other.

* * *

**Chapter 7: Feroce**

Naruto let out a shuddering sigh and clenched his eyes tightly closed. His breaths became shallower when he felt the tip of Sasuke's erection brushing against his sensitive and stimulated entrance. Subconsciously, he was almost holding his breath for that moment when he would be penetrated with his lover's hot and pulsating rod.

"Come with me," he heard Sasuke growl. Because he had least expected it, especially in the situation they were in, Naruto opened his eyes and stared at Sasuke. Did he hear him right?

"Say that you'll come with me and I'll continue this." _I'll give you all the pleasure that you want._

Naruto's heart clenched. He had heard him right.

Sasuke said it again. This time, more demanding and it didn't help the fact that his tip was pressed against that particular area of his. The torture of a lifetime where sex was concerned.

The blond swallowed thickly and with sheer effort, he pushed Sasuke away and swung his legs over the side of their cot. His nails dug into the crumpled blanket as he willed his lust to calm down. When he finally felt his desire wither away somewhat, he sighed, "I want you. Yes, I do, but," he looked at the scowling Sasuke over his shoulder, "that doesn't mean I'll sell them out for my pleasure." His orgasm shouldn't be that expensive. No pleasure should be this expensive.

He was about to stand up, but pale arms wrapped around him from behind and the next thing he knew, his sweaty back was pressed against Sasuke's sweaty chest.

"Don't go." It was no longer a demand but a plea and Naruto clearly heard it. Should he listen to him? What good would come out if he would?

"Stay with me tonight and I won't ask anything."

Sasuke sounded so sincere that he needed to see his face, so he turned around and found his friend looking at him expectantly.

_Sasuke is still so pure._

Naruto relaxed against him. "I'l probably regret this," he whispered.

Laying light kisses on a left tanned shoulder, Sasuke replied, "I doubt it." He heard the blond snort, but at least he didn't protest when he pulled him back to lay with him. Both of them lay on their side, spooning, Sasuke's arms still around Naruto's waist.

"Can we?" he asked him a moment later after silently attempting to endure the discomfort caused by his half-erected state. Besides, with the blond pressed against him like this and with their scents combining, he couldn't cool down. He smiled against the blond's nape when he heard an affirmative reply.

It wasn't long until both of them were heavily panting and straining against each other. Naruto's eyes fell shut. It wasn't Sasuke moving in and out from his body that was driving him wild or the intensity of his thrusts. It was the man's panting that was ringing loud and clear in his ears and all because Sasuke's mouth was nestled next to his ear. All the changes in his pants, despite how small they were, were registered in his mind and flowed through him like an aphrodisiac.

He let one of his hands to join Sasuke's which was wrapped around his erection. He twisted his head to press their mouths together while moaning into their kiss. The telltale tightening of his abdomen was already there and he informed Sasuke by gripping the man's butt to give him more momentum in his furious thrusting.

So close.

_Naruto..._

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Ino looked around for her prey and when she didn't find him, she let out an irritated sigh. "I swear, Sakura, Naruto took after Kakashi-sensei. He's almost two hours late."

All the remaining rookie nine were at the barbecue house for a small get-together probably their last until the threat on Konoha was thwarted. Or killed.

Kiba huffed. "It seems like he became a stranger since he came back from Demon Country."

"It must be hard for Naruto-kun especially that it's Sasuke-kun," Hinata quietly stated. "Can you imagine what you'd be like if you and Shino-kun are in their shoes?"

While Shino didn't react, Kiba seemed to pale. "Don't say such things, Hinata," he lightly begged while waving his chopsticks.

"I'm sure Naruto will arrive soon. He's probably at the training grounds," Sakura said.

"That's what you always say. Do you have any other excuse aside from that?" Ino asked.

"You seem to know a lot about him and his location," Chouji stated while chewing.

If Sakura didn't blush, Ino wouldn't have noticed anything strange. The blond smirked and poke her friend's flushed left cheek, letting all their companions know that she was affected by Chouji's words.

"You're blushing pretty well, Sakura," Ino teased. "Could it be that you-"

"Of course not!" Sakura protested and another image of her former teammates flashed in her mind. Dammit! Why did these images remain in her head even now?

But Ino wasn't listening while she continued, "Well, Hinata, here's your new rival."

Hinata smiled. "You're wrong, Ino. After all, Naruto-kun has his eyes on Sakura for a long time now." She knew that, but it didn't stop her heart from aching. She had lost the battle even before it had even begun.

Sakura let out a sigh. If only they knew, but they didn't.

"So Sakura, it's -"

"Wait, Hinata. You're wrong."

"I'm late, aren't I?" a new voice asked, cutting off Sakura and interrupting the drama that was unfolding.

Everybody whipped their heads to look at Naruto who was grinning from ear to ear.

"I took a shower after training."

_Liar._

Everyone believed that but Sakura, who bowed head lower to hide her face which was completely red, but Ino had seen.

"You're paying because you're late," Ino said and the rest agreed. She grabbed a tanned hand just as Naruto was moving to find a seat. "Sit here," she told him offering her seat beside Sakura's.

Shino's eyes darted at Hinata, pitying her. In his opinion, Ino's offer was unnecessary. Shikamaru shared the same opinion as the silent man, but unlike him, he understood that despite their antagonism towards each other, Sakura's happiness was Ino's.

Naruto glanced at Sakura. He didn't understand why, but she was giving off bad vibes, making him wonder if it was okay to take the offered seat. Having no choice seeing that all the seats around their table were being occupied, he sat on the offered cushion while hoping that he would get home alive.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

"Thanks for the treat," called out the rookie nine members to Naruto as they stepped out from the barbecue restaurant. Most of them either left one by one or as a group to their own itinerary, leaving the blond alone.

Naruto scratched the back of his head and sighed. The peals of laughter coming from his left caused him to turn towards the noise..

Ino and Sakura.

_Sakura. _

Without any hesitation, he made a dash to catch up with them. "Sakura-chan," he started, "do you have something important you have to do now?"

"Yes," Sakura replied at the same time that Ino said, "No."

Sakura glared at Ino who continued, "She's going home. Walk her home, okay?" She gave Naruto a thumbs-up sign and shot him a grin before leaving.

Sakura had her hard gaze focused on something to her left while Naruto looked at her, his hands inserted into his pockets. Awkwardness had never been this thick between the two of them to the point of suffocation.

The blond cleared his throat. "Sakura," he nervously said.

Hearing her name, the pink-haired kunoichi tensed. She sensed that Naruto was going to ask a question and before he could, she leapt to a rooftop. She was about to jump to another one when she felt a hand wrap itself around her wrist.

"Why are you running away from me?" she heard him ask. His voice was full of hurt and confusion. "What did I do wrong? You've been acting strange whenever I'm around." It wasn't an observation, but a fact. Even in his obliviousness, he noticed her change in behavior.

"Sakura..." A plea.

The kunoichi mentally took a deep breath and spoke loud enough to be heard by Naruto only. "I saw it. On that rainy evening... you and Sasuke." And Naruto's hand loosened its grip on her wrist and a second later slipped away. She turned around, guilt evident on her face.

Naruto remained immobile, eyes wide with horror and face pale.

"I was so worried about you that I followed you that night. I wish I didn't. God, Naruto, I meant it." She was so desperate that she was close to going hysterical. Watching them was like an act of betrayal... an intrusion of privacy. "I didn't know. How was I supposed to know that you and him..."

Unlike her, Naruto was strangely calm. In a sense, he expected something like this would happen. After all, nothing remained a secret. "Sakura," he said and his eyes were sharp for anything that would belie her answer to the question he would ask. "You didn't tell anyone about this, right? I don't want Sasuke to get hurt."

Sakura bit her lower lip. She hadn't expected this kind of reply. Her heart clenched painfully and her throat constricted. She let out a shaky breath to maintain whatever control she had on her emotions. "You... when... Why? Why are you going this far for him? Can't you see that he is destroying you?"

_Bonds shouldn't lead anyone to self-destruction._

That was what he said and yet, here he was- What was he thinking? His bond with Sasuke was not ordinary. It was all-consuming, demanding and like molten lava, destroying anything in its path. He knew that. He knew it all too well because he had been burnt... consumed by it and he loved it. "Then let him. I don't care." He had long crossed the boundary and unbeknownst to Sasuke, he had went with him from the start and without his permission.

In the blink of an eye, Sakura had crossed the distance between them and grabbed a fistful of his jacket. "Put more value on yourself, dammit!" She leaned forward, her forehead brushing against her knuckles. "Naruto..." He was so far from her and perhaps this person in front of her was just a shadow of what Naruto would be like if Sasuke had stayed.

_It's all your fault, Sasuke-kun._

Tears falling. Sobs wracking her body. _Naruto, This is the only favor I will ever ask of you... Bring... bring Sasuke-kun back... I'm sure the only person who can save him is... Naruto, only you._

_Sakura, I will bring Sasuke back for sure. This is the promise of a lifetime! _ He was grinning. Giving his word as a ninja.

"Forget about my lifetime promise. I shouldn't have asked you." In a way, Sakura blamed herself because there was no one else she could place her blame on.

With his clammy fingers, Naruto held Sakura's wrists while he explained, "It had nothing to do with that." His eyes fluttered close for a short moment. He let out a long breath, fanning few pink hair-strands. Then he admitted, "Well, once it did, but even if you didn't ask, I'd still do the things I did."

_Be content of what you had taken from him. Don't take more of him because... then... I won't have anything of him._

Sakura leaned back to look into doleful blue eyes. "Dammit! Why?"

"Because I want to save him. There are things that we misunderstood about the Uchiha clan and Sasuke and things we didn't know about him. But now that I know, I want to save him and I'll keep trying." _I have nothing else to do... on this path... straight ahead... There is only Sasuke._ _Only him and I believe that when I stretch my hand, I'll be able to touch him and then finally... save him._

Her grip on his coat tightened, her knuckles slightly white. "You and him-"

A blush tainted tanned cheeks. "That? I don't know. One moment he... I... we... things just happened and suddenly we can't stop. It's pulling us towards each other." This was the first time he admitted his helplessness against the force between him and his dark-haired friend out loud.

Despite all the things Naruto had told her, Sakura still couldn't understand. But even if she did, what she would now ask of him wouldn't be any different. "Please, stop chasing him. You've done enough."

"There is no enough for a friend."

"You have dreams," she reminded him with quiet desperation.

"Saving him is one of them," he replied with conviction.

Sakura sighed. Naruto was too far. He was unreachable with her words. When did he stray from her? "The elders... if they find out-"

Naruto stepped back from her, but his hands were still wrapped around her wrists with rough affection. "I don't care. Not even death can stop me."

Sakura gaped at her friend. This wasn't selflessness or stupidity but-

"This is madness. You're insane."

It was quite ironic that the words he flung at Sasuke were being flung back at him, and by Sakura no less. Sakura whose eyes were as desperate as his were few years back, and it hit him that there was a possibility that Sakura would be just like him and it would be his fault. His and Sasuke's bonds had sucked everything. He couldn't allow this. He couldn't let her get involved. He gripped her shoulders tightly, "I can't be saved... I don't want to be saved so don't try. Don't join this madness."

"I won't," she promised, but that was because even if she wanted to join, she couldn't. This madness was their bond itself. "But I won't tell-"

"Sorry to interrupt," the new voice caused them to jump away from each other in surprise.

"Genma!" Sakura said, chest slightly heaving and eyes slightly guilty.

Genma smiled. _Young love_, he thought. He felt guilty for intruding on them, but an order was an order. "Tsunade summoned the both of you to her office. The priestess has arrived."

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Shion shifted her eyes to the other side and tried not to squirm underneath the gaze of one Hatake Kakashi, much to Tsunade's quiet amusement.

Tsunade never asked for the purpose of her visit. One look at the priestess' face and she knew. Unfortunately, it was obvious that Naruto was completely oblivious to her feelings.

"They're here," she said when the door was opened.

Shion turned around and her gaze immediately went over Sakura who was the first one to step inside. Her heart skipped a beat.

_Naruto._

Before a smile could settle on her face, her gaze was filled with blood. Naruto's blood. Then darkness descended on her like a heavy cloak.

Thanks to his quick reflex, Kakashi had caught the unconscious priestess.

_"Shion?"_

_"Shion?!"_

_..Naruto..?_

**-SasuNaru is love-**

When Shion came to, she found herself lying on a bed.

"She's awake," she heard someone said. "I'll get her a glass of water."

She pushed herself to sit. Why was she on a bed? What happened?

"Hey, you okay?" Naruto said. Seeing him made her remember the bloody scene that had came to her.

The village was in flames and ruin. Naruto was fighting against a dark-haired shinobi on a rooftop. Then suddenly, the latter had cruelly pierced Naruto's chest with his right hand and the blond fell limp just after his eyes had dulled from red, to dark blue.

"Your chest will be pierced by a hand and you'll die," she said without any preamble.

Naruto remembered what Shion had revealed to him. While her death prophecies of people around her were accurate, they were signs of her own impending death. Because Naruto knew this, he was more worried for her than for himself. He hadn't died when she predicted his death for the first time, right? So what were the chances that he would this time?

"Is your life in danger?" Naruto asked her urgently.

Shion shook her head. She would have known if it was.

Naruto was confused. "If it isn't, then why?"

The priestess hung her head to hide the blush that crept on her cheeks. What she didn't tell Naruto was that any priestess could see the death of a person she was in love with as if preparing her for the pain so as not to disrupt her service.

"Shion!" Naruto grabbed her left hand out of insistence.

"I don't know," she snapped back and freed her hand, too aware of his touch. "All I know is that you're going to die!"

Her voice or to be exact, her words stopped Sakura from turning the doorknob.

The pink-haired kunoichi remained outside, waiting for the priestess' next words, but there was none. There was just silence. She knocked once and with a smile on her face, waltzed in with the glass of water she was ordered to get for Shion.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Sakura stepped out from the administrative building later than Naruto did, but the blond, as they agreed, was waiting for her.

From a distance, she saw him reading a small of piece of paper before he hurriedly tucked it in his pocket. Perhaps it was the sudden change of his look or his posture or both that told her it was from Sasuke.

_You'll die._

Sakura almost missed a step. Shion never mentioned the exact details of his death and she never had a chance to ask her because the priestess became standoffish. However, she had a feeling that Naruto's death had something to do with Sasuke. Whether he was slain by Sasuke or was executed because of his tryst...

"Sakura-chan!" came Naruto's cheerful voice, snapping her out of her thoughts. "What are you standing there for? We have to go. I still have to train."

_You're a liar._

"You're not the only one who has plans, Naruto," she replied when she caught up with him. "I'm gonna meet up with Ino."

_I'm a liar too._

They were both liars for someone who thought less of them.

Sakura followed Naruto into his apartment to retrieve the scroll that Shion came for. Luckily, the three of them managed to convince Tsunade to let Shion stay at Sakura's house, where she could read and research about the seal without anyone's knowledge. None of them, not even Naruto himself, knew why they were keeping this scroll a secret from everyone, especially from Tsunade. It wasn't like they were doing anything wrong, but keeping it a secret felt like the right thing to do.

Sakura chuckled while an embarrassed Naruto grabbed his growling stomach.

"I'll make you ramen," she offered sweetly. "Surely, you have time for that."

Her friend grinned affirmatively.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

"I gratefully partake," Naruto said cheerfully as he grabbed his chopsticks. He inhaled deeply, taking in the smell of his ramen. He grinned at the amused Sakura before digging in.

"You know," Naruto started, eyes suddenly fond, " I shared ramen with Sasuke once.."

Sakura looked surprised because she expected him not to talk about Sasuke. After all, he was his dark secret.

"He doesn't like ramen, but that time, he was happily slurping with me." His eyes darkened with loneliness. "And to me, nothing had ever felt so right."

Her face softened with pity and comfort. "Naruto..."

The blond smiled at her, but his smile didn't reach his eyes. He yawned. "Sakura... I think-" He yawned again and blinked blearily. "I think... I'm sleepy."

"Eh? You're sleeping on me?"

He gave her a sheepish look. "Let's continue this talk later. I still have to train." He pillowed his head on his elbows. "Sorry, Sakura," he mumbled seeing her worried look. He always made her worry... always. She was slipping from his eyes and he was too sleepy to entertain a certain nagging thought. "So sorry." _Sasuke._

Sakura looked at Naruto's sleeping face. With slightly trembling hand, traced his face. Affection was on her visage while she tucked few hair-strands behind his ear. He was like a brother to her, she would do anything to protect him. Anything including mixing sleeping powder in his ramen. She took out the small capsule which was now empty, its contents having long been mixed in the ramen soup and running through her friend's system. "Sorry, Naruto," she said and crushed the capsule while she was leaving.

Within few minutes, Sakura was on her way to meet Sasuke.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Sasuke's lips pursed. Even before he looked up, he knew who his guest was and he wasn't pleased. Thoughts of Naruto betraying him swirled in his mind, making him teeter between rage and indifference.

"Sakura, eh?" he stated, his voice dangerous and spiked with calloused coldness.

Despite the man's cold welcome, Sakura remained steadfast, almost aloof and reckless, but that was because she already had made up her mind.

"Naruto had nothing to do with this," she said and she could have sworn that the stiffness in his shoulders left him. However her next words made them stiffen once more. "I drugged him to sleep." Inwardly, the kunoichi smiled at the loathing gaze she was receiving. Naruto might mean something to him after all if that was the case. She reminded herself not to push too many buttons...not to make the former Konoha shinobi any more annoyed than he already was. "I'm worried for Naruto. I'm scared for him."

Sasuke arched an eyebrow in infuriating indifference. Sakura clenched her fists. He was always demeaning everyone and everything, especially Naruto. "You deeply care for him then," he said in mockery.

She scowled. "Yes. I value him more than you ever will."

"But he values me more than you." Although he stated it, he knew it wasn't true. If Naruto value him more, he would have come with him.

"He has dreams!" She was close to stomping her foot. While Sasuke might be as stubborn as Naruto, she believed that Sasuke was more logical than their blond teammate.

"I have mine too."

"Then let him go, Sasuke." A plea. Her plea. "That's all I ask of you. This is all I will ever ask of you."

Sasuke snorted. So dramatic. "He is not bound to me nor have I imprisoned him. Besides, I have more to lose than he does."

Sakura's jaw tensed at that statement. More to lose? The nerve of that guy! Her first reaction was to demand him to explain when revenge became more important than a dream of protecting a village. Most importantly of all, the lives of all the innocent people. However, Naruto's words stopped her.

_There are things we misunderstood about him and his clan..._

"Then let him go," she replied curtly.

"Tell him to let me go."

Sakura's scowl darkened before her words lashed out from her mouth, unbidden. "It's your incapability to cut your bonds that he is this way!"

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly. Nobody had ever said that to him before. Even he himself hadn't thought about it until now, and he didn't appreciate it. His lips curled into a distasteful snarl.

"Has it ever crossed your mind that you will destroy Naruto's dream by destroying Konoha? Won't you regret it?" she yelled.

_Won't he?_

"Why would I?"

Sasuke's eyes widened while he drew a sharp breath when Sakura appeared right in front of him, her right gloved fist pulled back. In a nick of time, he quickly moved away and put a distance between them. Even though he missed the attack a hairsbreadth away, his left cheek tingled with slight pain. He regarded Sakura when she straightened up and turned to face him. Her green eyes were dark with ferocity. She was serious. She would kill for Naruto and that observation made his heart clench. Painfully so.

"Do you know who you're up against?" he obnoxiously asked her while he extracted his hands from the dangling sleeves of his kimono.

Sakura snorted. She certainly knew and she even chided herself for being infatuated with him during her younger years. She had been naive, but not now. Not anymore. She lunged again just as Sasuke did the hand signs for a summoning technique.

Sakura was barely surprised at the snakes that shot out from the ground. She leaned forward, leapt upward, let herself free-fall and thrust herself sideward as she expertly maneuvered her way away from them and once in awhile, slashed the snakes whose fangs were dangerously too close for comfort.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. He couldn't help but be impressed at the kunoichi's smooth movements. She was so different from her genin days. She had grown and he wondered if she was the strongest among the kunoichis of their batch. But that strength... how far would it take her? A wicked smirk graced his face. In a split second, snakes shot out from his sleeves and they were reflected on emerald eyes.

Sakura dug her feet on the ground before meeting the snakes halfway. She grabbed a kunai from her pouch, twirled it around her pointer finger before using it to behead a few of the summoned reptiles. She propelled herself off the ground and jumped on a snake when another attacked her. With quick timing, she reached out and wrapped a hand around its mouth, snapping it shut. She swung herself upward and all the snakes rose up, following suit.

Beads of Sakura's sweat together with the snakes insides fell to the ground as the kunoichi maimed them one after another. In a split second, she managed to glance at her enemy and the smirk on the man's face angered her. With a battle cry, she thrust a kunai into the biggest snake and pulled it down with her.

The snake thrashed in pain, but she remained firm...and cruel. There was a sadistic gleam in her eyes when her gaze met Sasuke's.

_Take that, bastard!_ her inner self shouted.

She let go of the kunai and pulled herself back just as a vengeful snake was ready to snap her into two. She made an acrobatic move, gained balance on a snake's head and finally, managed to get at Sasuke from behind. She heard the sound of her fist crashing against his back and even the telltale sound of his spine breaking.

Panting and slightly surprised to having beaten him that easily, she watched as her former teammate slumped to the ground.

_Was that it?_ she thought. Eyes still wary and body still tensed, she straightened up and flexed her hands. Wanting to make sure that he was really dead, she took a step forward just as she felt something scaly and cool slithering around her ankles. She looked down and her eyes widened. But why? Its master was dead or was he? Her gaze flew to Sasuke's corpse and she paled to see it slowly splitting apart, sticky greenish liquid oozing from the cut. She recoiled upon seeing the large snake coming out from the corpse which had now become a snake skin. The ground between her and the snake cracked and torn apart when the animal pulled the rest of its hidden body into view, showing to Sakura that what was wrapped around her legs was the end of its body.

The snake bared its fangs and in a flash, shot forward and tightly wrapped its body around Sakura, preventing any movement, even a slight struggle.

_Tight_, Sakura thought the moment breathing became an issue, and it didn't help that she was being held above the ground. With less supply of oxygen, she felt like her head was shrinking, but she refused to die. She couldn't die. _Naruto..._

"How's the view from up there?" a voice asked from below, causing emerald eyes to dart to the ground.

_Sasuke._

Sasuke remained nonplussed, calm and collected. He lazily looked at her, assessing her. There was just fierce determination and stubbornness in her eyes so similar to Naruto's that it was quite amusing. However, he didn't have the time to be amused. He could kill her. He had every right and reason to do so. After all, she was just one of the leaves of the tree that was Konoha... a wisp of flame of the fire that was Konoha.

His killing aura was there, even Sakura could feel its intensity. However, before he could manifest it into a command, he remembered Naruto's distance and sad face whenever the subject of his friends being killed was brought up and then the sex between them becoming less satisfying. He thought that killing Sakura at that moment when he still had unfinished business with the blond would do him no good. Sakura's untimely demise by his hands would drive him away and he didn't want that.

"I can kill you, Sakura. Right here. Right now."

Sakura never doubted that and she was willing to die if her death would be the sword that would free Naruto from this madness. _Kill me then_, her eyes told him.

"But," Sasuke continued without a hint of sentimentality as he started wavering like heat vapor, "that will upset the dobe." Having said that, he disappeared without a trace. And a second later, so did Sakura's scaly prison.

The moment her feet landed on the ground, Sakura fell forward on her shaky hands and knees as she hungrily took in big gulps of air. Sometime between her coughing and wheezing, her tears fell to the ground.

What had she been thinking? What made her think that she could save Naruto? That she could get rid of Sasuke without making the blond upset? Her ego. Her ego had done it all because she couldn't accept that Naruto had left her. He abandoned her on the same day that Sasuke had left. She was too late. Too damned late.

She clawed at the ground before she let out a fierce cry of loss.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

When an emotionally exhausted Sakura returned to Naruto's place, Naruto had just woken up. The first thing that came to his mind was his meeting with Sasuke.

"Sakura," he started while he was pushing his seat backward. The rest of his words died in his throat the moment his friend raised her eyes to his. He saw disappointment, fear, exhaustion, vexation and dear God, even guilt. Did she? Speculation clawed inside him, but he was scared to confirm. There was no way Sakura would do it, right? There was no-

"Sasuke," she muttered, but to him, it felt like she shouted it. It was too loud... too clear and upon hearing it, coldness tumbled down on him.

Sakura who was scared beyond reason for Naruto's reaction, threw herself at him. She was awkwardly kneeling between his legs, arms wrapped around his waist and face buried against his stomach. Between sobs, she murmured incoherent words of apology.

For a moment, Naruto gaped at her, stunned at her action. He looked pained hearing her cry; feeling her tears wetting his shirt and feeling her sobs wracking her body. Seeing her like this, there was no way he would let her be pulled into and swallowed alive by his and Sasuke's destructive whirlpool. He just couldn't. Sakura shouldn't suffer like this.

Slowly, he raised his hands and gently combed his fingers through her hair. With eyes clenched shut, he whispered to her over and over again, "It's fine. It's okay."

But what was okay? What was fine? He no longer knew.

_Somebody, tell me._

__**TBC**

* * *

A/N: Madness? THIS. IS. SPARTA! As stated by K-chan.


	9. Calando

**Warning:** an explicit NaruSasu scene, an implicit SasuNaru scene, yaoi, OOC and unbeta-read.

**Author's note:** There is a reason why we wrote a NaruSasu here so please refrain from stabbing us with the objects nearest you. Poking us with the tip of your mouse arrow is forgivable though. Thanks to **notperfectXbutXhonestcritic** for making some quick corrections.

* * *

**Chapter 8: Calando**

Shion straightened and wiped the sweat from her forehead before she looked at her work on the ground. Nothing was amiss. The sign she drew on the ground was just like that on the scroll.

She gave a reassuring smile to Sakura and Naruto who were with her at the empty training ground at this early hour. She never knew why everything related to this- from research to execution was a secret, and she never asked. Even to her it seemed Sakura barely knew the reason and Naruto looked too secretive. It would be embarrassing if he would brush her question off and the possibility of it happening was high. If Naruto didn't share it with the pink-haired kunoichi, what were the chances of him sharing it with her?

She took out three vials which contained blood from three different people whose identity she only knew and positioned them on thethree dots.

"Preparation completed!" she told her companions.

Naruto slapped his hands on his knees and pushed himself to his feet. In the briefest of seconds, he was standing side by side with the priestess, with a voice full of determination, she said, "I won't fail you,"

Naruto paused. With his gaze focused ahead, he said, "I know you won't." Then he continued forward to stand at the place where the three dividing lines conjoined.

Shion took a deep breath before she started murmuring a chant under her breath. A few seconds later, the mark which was drawn with just a stick, became dark and prominent. The leaves of the tree above them rustled to a direction completely opposite to where the breeze was blowing.

In a voice slightly louder than before, she continued, but this time, hand seals were accompanying her chants.

The blood in the vials rose up and hovered above their own container in balls. Shion slammed her left palm on her right fist and the globes of blood moved to hover above the nearest dots.

She fell quiet and made a quick succession of difficult hand-signs. When she brought her hands together in a single clap, the granule of blood dropped on the little dots simultaneously.

Shion opened her eyes. She, together with Sakura and Naruto, waited with abated breath for the sign that the first part of the seal was successful.

That sign came six seconds later. A faint red blood light burst from the ground, outlining the symbol.

Shion then resumed her chanting, hand signs more elaborate.

Then the light started moving towards Naruto and when it crawled on his skin starting from his feet, it manifested as ancient scripts.

Sakura attentively watched as those text completely occupied him from head to toe. When the priestess fell quiet, she looked at her, but the priestess was staring at the blond shinobi. And Sakura knew she accomplished her role.

In the second the writings began seeping into his body, Naruto slowly became detached from the world until he was surrounded by darkness with only his sense of touch working.

He felt thin, invisible threads zooming and joining, forming a cocoon around him. He didn't feel pain, just an unexplainable discomfort, but that too disappeared. Or to be exact, he had been robbed of his sense of touch. Suddenly, he felt as though he was floating. Naruto felt light and blissful, he thought that if Shion's prediction of his death were to come true, he wanted to disappear from the world like this.

"Naruto!" Sakura gasped when her friend fell to the ground. Few steps ahead of her, Shion broke into a run and followed suit. Both of them reached the unconscious blond at the same time.

"He's burning," a frowning Sakura stated.

"It's just a reaction," Shion assured her. "Everything is fine." However, Sakura didn't believe her. They couldn't leave Naruto like this. With a fever like his, she knew dehydration was a step away. She quickly extracted a syringe and a needle, ready to inject a generic medicine, but a dainty hand covered hers. Emerald eyes clashed against sapphire ones.

"Everything is fine."

"You-"

"What is going on here?" a voice asked.

Both of them looked up.

"Gaara," Sakura said while wondering which part of "everything is fine" involved having Gaara, of all people, find them in this situation.

Shion must have realized their sudden change of luck because her hand trembled and she quickly pulled it away from Sakura's- an action which Gaara didn't miss. He frowned when he saw the syringe.

The kazekage crossed his arms in front of his chest, waiting for an answer to his question. His scowl deepened. Kankuro and Temari cleared their throats, snapping Sakura from her stupor.

She let out a dry chuckle while stealing a glance around her. Strangely, there were no traces of the seal being written on the ground and she was grateful for her luck, at least it would make her lie believable.

"Since last night, Naruto has a fever, but he insisted in training today..." she trailed off, letting the Suna shinobi assume the rest.

Gaara stared at her, then at Naruto who smelled of blood. In fact, the whole area reeked of the scent of blood. The scene itself wasn't suspicious in the least, except for the clean and empty vials, he couldn't find anything strange.

"Take him to the hospital," he commanded cooly.

"Of course," a relieved Sakura replied. "By the way, we were expecting to have you a week from now."

"Hn," the redhead answered and turned to leave.

"Gaara wanted to come here early," Temari hurriedly explained, "but the rest will come as scheduled." She then bowed and went after her two brothers.

A groan from Naruto had the girls attention riveted back to him. His eyelids fluttered open.

"Did I miss anything?" he asked groggily.

"Nope," Sakura answered. "Be steady for a second, I'll just..." She trailed off upon realizing that his fever was gone. To her slight irritation, the priestess shot her a triumphant look which made her want to stick her tongue out.

Stupid priestess. Stupid Naruto. Stupid her.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

With light, muted footsteps, Madara walked along the winding hallway and stopped at the room where he knew the younger Uchiha was. He leaned against the doorway and silently regarded him. Very cheeky, he thought when the lad didn't acknowledge his presence even though he knew he was there.

Sasuke placed the last shuriken he needed in front of him, cleaned and sharpened. When the first ray of sunlight filtered into the room through the window and bathed his kunai and shuriken with its radiating glow, he roved his eyes on each blade, checking his work, although he was aware that he didn't have to. Satisfied, he picked his sword and unsheathed it. He held it against the sunlight, watching it as the blade glistened. He shifted his sword causing the reflected light to accidentally focus on Madara's eyes.

"Such a beautiful sword," Madara commented in wry sarcasm after he moved to escape from the glaring beam of light. When he heard the sharp sound of the air being cut by the weapon, he added, "and very sharp too."

Still gingerly swinging his sword, Sasuke asked, "What do you want?"

"The Sand siblings have arrived in Konoha earlier than what your contacts reported."

"So I heard."

"And?"

"Our plan remains unchanged because the backup will leave for Konoha as scheduled. That's four days from now."

"My guys are getting impatient," Madara stated.

"You can send them as part of the ambush team, but I want them to be in top condition when we attack," Sasuke replied before standing up. He turned his head to regard Madara when he became quiet and found him staring back with speculative eyes. He arched an eyebrow in silent inquiry.

"The glory of the name of Uchiha depends on this," Madara reminded him.

He scoffed. Obliviously, he felt threatened by Naruto just as Orochimaru was. "I'll only say this once: he means nothing to me. Take away Kyuubi and he'll be reduced into a weak ninja with nothing but empty dreams."

"I'll kill you if you fail," Madara warned.

Sasuke just looked at him apathetically for quite a long time before he replied eloquently, "Hn." Thus, their conversation was brought to an end.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Naruto leaned against the rock wall and allowing his eyes to flutter shut, awaiting another wave of dizziness to pass him. Who would have thought that he would still feel the side effects of the seal? Even Shion, who had left earlier that day didn't, but she assured him and Sakura that it was okay... that according to the scroll, it was normal and that it would fade. While the side effects hadn't gone yet, at least, the interval and intensity of their occurrences stretched further apart while the pains became bearable. He brought his hand to his mouth when another bout of nausea hit him. 'Dammit!' he cursed mentally.

"Don't tell me I got you impregnated," he heard a familiar voice whisper to his left ear in a wry and teasing note. He cursed his luck. It was humiliating for him to be found like this, especially by Sasuke.

At the lack of any heated reaction from the blond, Sasuke became serious and frowned. "Dobe, are you okay?"

Naruto dropped his hand to his side and turned his head to look at his friend. "Ignoring that I was nauseous until a second ago, that I'm still dizzy and my body feels like lead, I'm fine," he snapped.

_To see you in your usual self..._

"Do you want me to carry you inside?"

The blond glared at the other man. "And have my pride fall to its all-time low? Stop messing around, bastard!"

_To have you react to me in your usual brash way..._

He heard him snort and tensed up when a pale hand shot towards him. "Bastard! Don't-" He trailed off when that hand just grabbed his arm to drape it over his shoulders.

Dark eyes looked at him in amusement. "Your pride won't suffer much with this, right?" Sasuke asked while he supported him.

"Bastard."

_And to hear you calling me like that..._

The two silently walked inside their little place and Sasuke led him to their bed.

Naruto's eyes fluttered close and a relieved sigh slipped past his lips the moment his back hit their- Sasuke's bed.

_I will miss them all._

Standing by the bed, Sasuke regarded the blond whose hair messily framed his face; whose eyes were close; whose lips were half-parted and whose arms were slightly spread. Naruto, he thought, was beautiful and the more he wanted to let him go, the more he found himself clinging to him. He pushed him away, but wished the idiot would come back... straight back to him. He did, but this time... it was different.

_I will miss you._

Naruto felt the slight dip of their cot and opened his eyes to find Sasuke hovering above while staring down at him. The way he looked at him... Naruto couldn't put it into words, but it felt like it was breaking his heart.

"Sasuke," he breathed and raised his arms, wanting to embrace his dear friend. However, said friend moved away just when his arms were in mid-motion.

"I'll get you water," Sasuke told him gruffly and left without once looking back.

Naruto frowned before wrapping his arms around the place where Sasuke was just moments before.

Sitting, Naruto took few sips of the hot water Sasuke prepared for him before cupping the mug with his two hands. He gazed at Sasuke who was sat in front of him.

"Is it because of Sakura's sleeping pills?" Sasuke asked.

"Eh?"

"What you're feeling now..."

Naruto lowered his gaze to his mug and nodded. It was a perfect lie... a perfect excuse.

"Hmm... It was two days ago. That potent?"

"I guess so, plus I was training with the guys and not resting as much as I should."

"Hn."

Blue eyes slightly widened when he felt a cold hand against his jaw. His gaze met black eyes staring back at him, with the same, heart-breaking look.

"Naruto," Sasuke said quietly.

"Hm?"

_This is goodbye_, he wanted to answer, but his throat constricted painfully.

"Sasu-" The last syllable was smothered by Sasuke's lips. Even dark eyes were staring at him and he stared back until his eyelids got heavy. When he closed his eyes, Sasuke followed suit.

Naruto moved his lips against Sasuke's. He completely forgot about the mug in his hands until he felt it being lifted from his hands. He opened his eyes when Sasuke broke their kiss and watched as his friend lowered his mug to the floor. He gave him a sheepish look before pulling him back for a kiss.

He didn't understand, but right now, his feelings were welling up inside him, making his chest feel like it was constricting to the brink of implosion. The way Sasuke was kissing him; touching him and pressing his body against his, washed him away.

"Sasuke," he breathed with his voice shaking and his fingers digging into pale shoulders. He moaned and clenched his eyes shut when his navel was being toyed with by Sasuke's tongue. He moved a hand to Sasuke's head and let his fingers comb through dark strands.

Sasuke paused and savored Naruto's touch, a part of him tried to remember the warmth of that hand so that when everything was over, the memory of his hands would still remain. A tug on his hair had his face hovering above the blond's.

Naruto slightly pushed himself up to capture his lips and plunder his mouth. When the blond pulled away to breathe, Sasuke whispered, "Embrace me tonight."

Blue eyes widened.

"Scared, dobe?" There was a slight smirk on his lips when he asked that.

Naruto opened his mouth to say something... anything, but when nothing came out, he decided it was better off to say nothing at all. He wrapped his arms around Sasuke's waist and rolled them over. Naruto hastily attempted to remove Sasuke's yukata.

"Your hands are trembling," Sasuke stated matter-of-factly.

"S-shut up," Naruto retorted. He was nervous. God! He was so nervous that he felt like an inexperienced moron. This was just Sasuke, he told himself. There was nothing to be nervous about. Wrong, he thought. It was because this was Sasuke. He frowned. Nothing was different. It was still just him with Sasuke and the feelings that flowed in between them was the same.

With that thought, he lowered his head and enclosed his mouth on one nipple.

He was nervous all right, but because he was with Sasuke, he could be himself. He might mess up along the way and Sasuke might tease him, but he knew that Sasuke wouldn't mind because... because he understood him... trusted him.

Sasuke let out a shuddering sigh and shivered as those curious and warm hands moved southward, leaving a scorching trail on his cold skin. He expelled a sharp breath when Naruto's mouth started following the direction his hands were taking after showering his nipples with equal attention.

It was hot. He couldn't say that he was burning because that would be an understatement. He was past burning. He was close to exploding and he wondered if this was what it felt like to be scorched by the sun.

_You're melting me._

A soft smile played on his lips at the impatient tug of his pants. "Impatient," he uttered while he raised his hips to help the blond. He felt no shame in being naked. He wasn't allowed to feel that way when Naruto was looking at him hungrily as he licked his suddenly dry lips.

_Devour me then._

He gulped when he felt hot breaths fanning his tip and when he felt hands brushing against his inner thighs.

_Touch me. Hurry._

Naruto let out a shaky breath. The musky scent of Sasuke's desire was sending all of his blood to his nether regions. His tongue darted out to catch a pearl of pre-cum that had just dripped from his slit.

_Sasuke._

With his senses attuned to all of Sasuke's reactions, Naruto slowly slipped his lover's angry rod into his mouth. With utmost reverence, he slid it in and out and would occasionally tease it with his tongue. He traced the slit and wrapped his tongue around the tip; nibbled the underside and sucked on the tip again before swallowing it all as much as his mouth would allow. While he was doing this, he had his fingers brushing and rubbing the muscles of Sasuke's entrance. And when they were hot, wet, stimulated and swollen, he slipped his fingers inside one after another.

Sasuke tightly gripped the sides of their cot while his legs were half-bent and his toes were digging into the soft surface. Feverishly and with an effort to be slow, he started thrusting into that oh-so-willing mouth, getting lost and heady with the pleasure he was taking and receiving simultaneously. His eyes fell shut. It was getting harder to breathe and the desire coiling in his abdomen had become heavier and tighter. Close. Yes, he was so close and he was mentally demanding for the blond to continue... to never stop or he would kill him. He was getting closer to that light and he was straining towards it. When it was within his arm's length, he stretched his hand. _Come on. Yes._ Before his fingers grasp it, the light disappeared and he was falling too fast back to the ground... to the blond idiot who was now looking at him. Just looking at him only.

"Dobe," he growled.

"Look who's impatient now," Naruto snickered while he started discarding his pants and boxers.

"With your pace, it will be tomorrow before we finish this."

"Keep that attitude up and it will be the day after tomorrow."

Sasuke scowled and lunged forward, a second later than Naruto. He found himself pinned with his mouth occupied with the blond's tongue. He kissed back in a deliberately rough manner. Hands gripping golden strands painfully.

Naruto slightly pulled back to inform him that he was going to thrust into him, but the moment he opened his mouth to speak, Sasuke thrust his tongue into it, smothering his words. Sasuke brought it upon himself when the sudden pain choked him in the middle of their demanding kiss.

"Fuck, N-naruto."

In reply, the blond started feasting on the pale skin of his neck.

Sasuke inhaled and exhaled while he told himself to relax. He wasn't scared, but his senses were screaming to attack the man who caused this pain. He had to repeat to himself over and over again that it was Naruto... just Naruto whom he trusted and who had hurt him over and over again albeit unconsciously.

He grabbed the tanned globes and pulled them towards him, bringing Naruto's half-buried cock deeper into him. "I refuse to wait for tomorrow," he whispered in a needy voice before sucking the outer shell of Naruto's left ear.

A husky chuckle rushed past Naruto's lips before they began moving.

Sasuke had no idea what to expect even if he did, he would never have known that it would be like this- memorably awkward and painfully beautiful. It felt like he was being torn, but to be filled like this and to be touched like this made the discomfort worthwhile. And the pleasure. Oh God! The pleasure. It was so addicting that he shifted his hips so Naruto would hit that spot dead-on; set the pace so he could have more of everything.

However, pleasure wasn't the only thing that was getting Sasuke high, but also Naruto's chakra that was dripping unto him and rubbing against his skin. Worse, it was more potent than the electrifying sensation that originated from his erogenous zones. It was fanning his fire-element-based chakra and awakening a different hunger in him- a hunger he ignored out of his respect to the blond's decision.

That hunger crawled upward, taking with it lots of chakra and leaving a burning trail in his veins. He could feel it licking its way into his eyes, activating his sharingan. He knew what was going on and what was going to happen. With Naruto staring at him, completely oblivious of the reason why his sharingan was activated, it was so easy to control him... so insanely easy that laughter bubbled inside him.

He brought a hand to Naruto's eyes, pressing it almost painfully. "Don't look," he commanded. "Don't you dare look."

"Sasu-"

A confused Naruto never got to finish because Sasuke had pulled him for a dizzying kiss that went on and on until both of them came. And their post-coital bliss pushed that hunger back and putting the dark-haired man in control of it again.

Naruto slumped beside him, the latter's breathing harsher than his. He almost drifted to sleep when he felt a warm hand holding his and he let a small smile tug at the corner of his mouth.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Having came earlier than Naruto, Sasuke doubled his efforts in jerking him off. He slumped against him the moment the blond finally came with a silent cry. He dragged his lips from tanned shoulder to tanned nape before he extracted himself from Naruto's body.

Naruto slung an arm over his eyes and let Sasuke wipe him clean and dry. He listened while Sasuke cleaned himself and when he heard the rustling of clothes as he dressed himself, he too got out of bed and started dressing. When he was done, he found Sasuke staring at him intensely, he began to understand.

Sasuke seemed to know that he now knew because there was a small wry smile that graced his lips. Naruto returned it with his own that came off as a grimace.

Simultaneously, they both had one their knees on the cot, and leaned towards the other for their last kiss. A moment later, they pulled back, and this time, it was more than their cot that separated them.

Naruto clenched his fists. "Sorry, I can't go with you. I have responsibilities entrusted to me."

"Responsibilities, eh? I understand them well." With that said, he turned his back towards a quiet Naruto and walked away. By the entrance, he paused. "Naruto," he started, "three days from now, I'll attack your village." He took a quick glance at the blond before he disappeared.

It took awhile for those words to sink into Naruto and when they did, he hurriedly left for Konoha without even glancing back at the place full of memories which had now become bittersweet.

A top on a certain tree, Sasuke watched the blond leaping from one branch to another at a very impressive speed, but he didn't feel betrayed, angry or disappointed. He was resigned to how things ended. Their dream and lucid interval were over and that little flare of hope that he harbored died like a candle in the wind.

He turned around and walked away with his resolve remaining as firm as when he heard the truth from Madara.

_For Itachi. For the Uchiha name._ _Goodbye, Naruto._

**-SasuNaru is love-**

"Old hag," Naruto shouted before he burst into Tsunade's office, disrupting whatever discussion Tsunade and Shizune had. "That bastard... I mean, Sasuke will attack Konoha three days from now."

Both kunoichi stiffened.

"How did you know?" a scowling Tsunade asked. Her attention solely on her blond subordinate.

"He came to me."

The hokage slammed her hand on the table. "How come I wasn't told of this meeting?"

Naruto looked away. "It was a secret. It was my last chance in convincing him-"

"What if he killed you? Why do have to believe-" She sighed. It already happened and Naruto was in front of her alive, besides there were bigger things she needed to deal with. She leaned back in her chair and nibbled on her thumbnail.

"What should we do, Tsunade-sama?" Shizune asked. "It could be a trap."

Tsunade knew that. No man would ever tell his enemy when he would attack, unless it would increase his margin of winning. Was Sasuke that desperate? Obviously, he was, but would he betray Naruto? Who he trusted in? She snorted. Hell yeah, he would over and over again.

Her frown deepened. What if the Uchiha expected them to treat this information as a bluff or a trap and ended up attacking on that date. He was playing a game with them... with her, but he was hundred years early.

She smirked. "Shizune, send word to all captains for an emergency meeting."

"R-right away, Tsunade-sama," her assistant replied and hurriedly left the office.

Naruto was about to leave as well when Tsunade's voice stopped him by the door. "Are you ready, Naruto?" he heard her ask and there was so much concern for him that it slightly chased the coldness that settled in him earlier.

_We made our decisions._

He gave her a smile. "It's okay. It's vexing, but I have already given up on him." He dropped his smile. "I am resolved to kill him." _Just like he is resolved to kill me._

_We said our goodbyes._

With that said, he left.

_Right, Sasuke? We already said our goodbyes._

For the rest of the day, there were no sightings of a captain in Konoha.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Baki frowned. Something wasn't right. He had sensed it the moment he and his troops crossed the boundary of Sunagakure. Although he had ordered everyone to be on alert, nothing had happened and he wanted it to remain like that.

From a distance, he heard what could be the sound of a bow string being plucked, but he wasn't able to confirm it until few of the shinobi holding the end of their party were making a commotion. He looked over his shoulder and saw four arrows moving towards a kunoichi.

The chuunin kunoichi smirked and with her chakra, got rid of them easily. Then there was silence- a deafening silence before one explosion after another occurred as the set-up was triggered by the kunoichi's chakra.

And like vultures, the blood-thirsty warriors and an Akatsuki member dealt with the rest.

In a snap, eyelids fluttered open, revealing alert emerald eyes. Gaara sat up and looked at the red moon hanging low on the inky black sky. Something wasn't right. His senses told him.

Just then, there was an urgent knock on his door before a frantic voice called his name. He could even hear other voices calling his siblings' name.

"What is it?" he asked as he opened the door. From his side-view, he noticed the doors of his siblings' room opening.

"Your subordinates were ambushed on their way here."

"What?" Kankuro uttered.

Unlike his siblings, Gaara remained calm. "And?"

"Eleven of them had survived. They are being treated. Tsunade-sama wants to talk with you."

The redhead nodded. In their sleeping clothes, he and his siblings went to the hokage's office.

The three of them had to wait for a few minutes before the hokage walked into her office. They immediately noticed that she wasn't in a good mood; that she smelled of blood and that her clothes had been stained with blood.

"How are they?" Temari asked on their behalf while Tsunade seated herself.

"We lost two of them," the hokage stated grimly. "The rest are in stable condition."

"What about Baki?" Kankuro asked.

"He suffered critical injuries, but we managed to save him. He managed to give his report before he lost consciousness."

"Who did it?" Gaara asked.

"Bandits, but they weren't exactly ordinary ones. Baki didn't expound this detail," the hokage explained.

"He doesn't need to," the redhead replied. "There were thirty-five shinobis on their way here and who were either chuunin or jounin."

"There was also an Akatsuki member. However, he wasn't serious during their confrontation."

"Damn that Akatsuki!" Kankuro cursed. "What more do they want from us?"

Temari looked at her younger brother. "Gaara, perhaps our village is in dan-"

"I doubt it."

Tsunade was about to agree with him when there was a rap on her door and Raidou came in.

"We received these SOS from the others," he said and handed the hokage the small papers.

The hokage scanned and noticed that one letter had a drop of blood. Remembering what Naruto had reported, she had more reason to suspect that this was Sasuke's doing. He was ridding their support before he would attack.

Damn! This was getting to be more troublesome. She had to send back-up, or the village's ties with their allies who sent aid would be ruined. At the same time, she had to consider the village's safety and security.

"Raidou," she said in a commanding tone, "we're going to send back-up. Summon the following team... "

**TBC**

* * *

For those who haven't figured out why we had NaruSasu here: It symbolizes the finality and gravity of Sasuke's goodbye.


	10. Bellicoso

Disclaimer: All Naruto characters belong to Kishimoto-san.

Warning: Aside from OOC and mistakes here and there? None.

Author's Notes: We apologize for the late update. The entire blame is on me.

* * *

**Chapter 9: Bellicoso**

"Captain," one of his subordinates called out as they landed on a nearby branch. However, Shino didn't need his attention called for, the team members were already inspecting the same grotesque scene.

Never, in his life had Shino seen something like this.

"More like a massacre than a battle," he heard one of his team members conclude, and he had to agree.

"Search for any survivors and attend to them immediately," Shino commented, but he knew... they knew that they were already too late.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Dark eyes quickly scanned the report before he let his hand holding that paper to fall limp by his side while he hung his head low. A second later, he directed his gaze upwards. His cold eyes held a maniacal glint and his lips twitched upwards in a sinister smirk. Everything was going according to his plan.

He threw the report up in the air and unsheathed his sword. After two swift slashes, only tiny, unrecognizable shreds of paper danced from the air and littered the ground surrounding Sasuke's feet.

_You see, Naruto, great numbers doesn't mean victory._

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Shizune burst into the hokage's office, causing Tsunade to frown. Ever since this commotion about the attack on Konoha started, Tsunade was just starting to associate hurried entrances into her office with bad news.

"What now?" she asked before emptying her sake-filled cup to steady her nerves.

"We received reports from the back-up team we sent earlier," the dark-haired kunoichi began. "There were no survivors. They arrived too late." She wasn't surprised when the cup in Tsunade's left hand shattered.

The blonde woman clamped her teeth on her right thumbnail while she seethed. Damn accursed Uchiha brat! Now she had to send letters to all leaders of the dead troops. Knowing that they wouldn't take the news well, diplomatic procedure would have to be in order. Obviously, the brat's fury and thirst for vengeance was so deep that it caused trouble in a scale larger than she anticipated.

She massaged her temples. There was no other choice, but to handle Sasuke and Akatsuki all by themselves.

She straightened in her seat. With or without any backup, there would be a bloodbath, but Konoha would never be annihilated by anyone, especially by an Uchiha.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Kiba paused in his run when he noticed a bright spot at the top of the hokage mountain. He snorted. What an eyesore! And he said that to Naruto when he joined him at the top of hokage mountain. He looked down at the village which was absent of its usual activity. It looked so destitute and lonely without its civilians who were all evacuated since four hours ago.

"Ne," he heard Naruto say.

"Hm?" He took a furtive glance at his friend and mentally sighed. He still wasn't used to this kind of Naruto- contemplative, mature and jaded-looking.

"I think I finally understand why my father did such cruel thing to me," the blond said and heavily placed a hand on his stomach. "And it isn't because he loved this village more than me."

_He trusted... trusts me so he placed this great responsibility on me._

Instead of saying anything, Kiba remained quiet.

"Finally... f-finally, I understand why he made his decision." Naruto clutched the part of his shirt above his stomach. _... Why Itachi did what he did._

Kiba patted Akamaru's head and continued staring at the horizon that which blue eyes remained focused on. "If you ask me, I won't blame you or be surprised if you leave to be with him." He was so sincere, that he was completely unaware of the romantic connotation of his words and consequentially missed the blond's blush. "For me, it's just natural or to be exact, logical." He shrugged and added, "At least judging from your bond with him."

"But it doesn't work that way."

_Jaded._

"I can't always follow my whims."

_Mature._

"I guess so," Kiba replied. His eyes darted back to the village which would become a battlefield drenched with blood and littered with corpses by tomorrow. When he thought about it, anxiety settled heavily inside him. "Tomorrow," he said in a strained voice.

"Yeah, tomorrow..." Naruto trailed off and a daunting silence settled on them. He sighed and inserted his hands into his pockets. "It's okay, Kiba. I won't let you die," he said while he passed by his friend.

It took a while for said friend to comprehend his assurance, and when he did, he frowned at such cockiness. Quite offended, he cupped his hands around his mouth and called after the blond. "I'll protect you too." Akamaru showed the same sentiment by barking.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Homura brought his cane down to the floor and demanded, "What is the meaning of this, Tsunade?"

The hokage let out a low hiss of breath. It had been three days since the date Sasuke claimed he would attack... a date which he didn't show up, leaving all of them baffled.

"The brat can attack anytime," she replied. "I don't want him to catch us off guard."

"You're wearing your subordinates down by ordering them to anticipate his attack."

"I know," she snapped. She was aware of the psychological effect on Sasuke's failure to show up on that day and her order to maintain 'Level One' on her subordinates, but she had no choice. She knew the game the Uchiha was playing. Like a snake, he was trying to tire them out before attacking and she was trying to draw him out by making him impatient. Her subordinates' endurance was everything in this game.

"We might lose if they become too tired to fight."

"I know what I'm doing."

Homura was about to argue when an explosion cut through Konoha's silence.

Tsunade smirked. The snake was out. Now to lead it to its snare.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

By a cliff overlooking Konoha, Akatsuki and team Eagle stood undetected.

A gust of wind blew past them - an ominous sign of what should come.

"Failure is not an option," Sasuke told his team before they left for their positions while Madara, on the other hand, just nodded before his own team disappeared, leaving just the two of them.

"The day has come," the older Uchiha commented. He placed a hand on Sasuke's left shoulder. "Everything rests on you. Bring the clan back to its former glory."

It was ironic, Sasuke thought. Years ago, he left the village for power and vengeance with no plans of coming back and yet, here he was, looking for vengeance. Despite the nostalgia that was worming into his heart by looking down at Konoha, his resolve didn't falter.

For his clan who were victims. For Itachi who had been a loyal servant of Konoha, who played the traitor to the very end, who had been a brother to him through and through. For all that was taken from him, for all that he lost.

Madara smiled at the barely controlled murderous aura Sasuke was emitting. It was a good omen.

"Let's not fail the clan, Sasuke-kun."

The lad nodded before he too disappeared.

_For Itachi._

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Reports about the explosion on the east, west, north and south of Konoha started pouring in. Neji's team was on their way to the east side when another explosion occurred in the central square - an explosion which caused a tremor within a two mile radius.

Neji paused and looked back. He saw a silhouette within the cloud of dust that had risen and could barely make out the figure, but he was quite certain who it was.

He looked at his vice-captain. "Proceed."

"Eh? But captain, you can't-" But Neji had already left for the central square with a resolve to accept whatever punishment given to him for disobeying an absolute order. His decision might be reckless but-

_For Konoha._

Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one who was headed towards that direction.

The tremor had caught Sakura off guard and she would have lost her balance if not for her reflexes. She squinted as she focused her gaze at the thick cloud of dust enveloping the main square before looking away to continue moving to her position. Her green eyes widened when she saw Naruto whose post should be at the North.

Naruto halted when his gaze met Sakura's and all the commotion around them grew distant until it faded away. In that moment of silence and clarity, he saw her fear and concern. He could even hear her silent plea as if she were shouting it.

He clenched his fists while guilt course through him. He always hurt her. He always, always made her worry. He always, always, always made her cry. He was such a jerk, but now with his gaze, he was apologizing and assuring her that it was okay; that he would, straight away, come back to her, alive.

Hinata dropped beside Sakura and misunderstood the gaze the latter was exchanging with Naruto. Her heart throbbed but now wasn't the time. In any ordinary day, she would have walked away and let them be, but there was a war to be fought.

"Sakura," she said and wrapped her hand around her friend's elbow, tugging her back to reality. She promised herself that she would later apologize to them for her intrusion, but not today.

The pink-haired girl nodded and with one last lingering look to blond friend, they were off.

"Shouldn't you be at your post, Shikamaru?" Neji asked as they both landed on the same rooftop, at the same time.

"I could ask you the same thing, Neji," Shikamaru retorted. "I'm surprised that you stooped so low as to disobeying commands."

The other shinobi snorted. "Isn't this too troublesome for you?"

"But it saves me from more trouble if I fight the boss." Shikamaru mirrored Neji's smirk. They were reckless, but they believed that they were doing the right thing.

They were about to take a step forward when Naruto dropped in front of them. The blond straightened and looked at the ominous sight of a gigantic snake with Sasuke on top of its head. The bastard was standing so arrogantly that hatred throbbed within him.

"I'll take care of him," Naruto informed them.

"But explicit orders-"

"Neji, do you think that that will stop me?" He glanced at them over his shoulder and gave them a thumb-up sign. "I'll fight him... and kill him." A jolt of thrill shot up through his spine when he felt a heavy gaze on him, missing the glance his two friends shared.

_Sasuke..._

The bastard was beckoning and mocking him. _Asshole._

Naruto walked only to realize that his feet wouldn't budge. He looked down then glared at Shikamaru.

"Don't die."

Naruto gave them a boyish smile. "You have my word." The very second that Shikamaru let him go, he leapt forward, towards his arch-nemesis.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Sasuke felt Manda tense the moment Gamabunta appeared. Obviously, the reptile had a grudge against the amphibian.

"Do whatever you please," he told the snake before he jumped to a nearby rooftop.

"I'm disappointed that you're still here after the information I had given you," Sasuke greeted Naruto and his black eyes were angrily piercing into the latter. "That's the reason-"

He regarded a very calm Naruto. That expression the blonde had on his face was unrecognizable. Those blue eyes were no longer light and mischievous. In fact, they held a tint of crueltry and darkness- a darkness he didn't know existed in Naruto. He snorted. This was Naruto- his enemy and the man he needed to kill for standing between him and his goal.

Contrary to what he expected, Naruto's heart didn't lurch or did emotions such as sadness gripped him. Everything within him was the epitome of the stillness of calm water. He gazed at Sasuke. He saw darkness, hatred, anger and madness that made him his enemy. "And I thought that you had abandoned your plan," Naruto said sarcastically although they both knew that he- Naruto was lying.

Sasuke perched his right elbow on the hilt of his sword and he spoke in a condescending manner. "It's part of my strategy, dobe." He then tilted his head, "Haven't you heard of a swordsman who defeated his enemy by coming late?"

Blue eyes flashed. Sasuke's words and his Akatsuki robe pissed him off beyond words. "I don't care if it's part of your strategy or just plain tardiness on your part, but I won't let you do as you like."

The dark-haired man snorted quietly. Looking at his former friend, he saw nothing but the flame which he used to have... which all Konoha shinobi carried, and he wanted to snuff it out. So much.

_Too bright and yet..._

He walked towards him with each of his steps calculating and ominous.

_your brightness never lit my darkest places._

Fearlessly, Naruto walked forward too, willing to meet his enemy halfway.

When both shinobi were two meters away from each other, they skipped forward and drew out their weapon- Sasuke with his sword and Naruto with his kunai. They both swung their weapon at the same time, aiming for the other's neck. At the exact, same moment, they caught the wrist of that armed hand in a tight grip.

Their eyes clashed.

At the moment Sasuke's killing aura surged, Naruto felt his chakra -not Kyuubi's but his- flowed in him before his own killing aura burst and collided with Sasuke.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Madara maneuvered his way into Konoha. Unlike his companions, his entrance wasn't flashy nor was it accompanied with a 'bang', but he achieved his purpose without any attention from Konoha's defenders.

He quickly leaped in the air when he felt a deadly chakra brushing against his neck. Landing at a nearby branch, he saw the Godaime - a descendant of Shodaime. What a preposterous occasion. "That was close," he stated lightly while gently rubbing the area in his neck which was still tingling. "Just when I thought I went unnoticed, you came."

Like him, Tsunade was completely calm, but her eyes spoke of cruelty.

"If you excuse me, I have a jinchuuriki to kidnap." He jumped back to the ground and took a step, ready to go on his merry way when Tsunade stomped her foot on the ground causing a long crack on the area Madara was about to step on.

"You'll not lay a hand on any of Konoha's villagers," Tsunade stated in a dangerous voice.

Madara sighed before seriously regarding her. "Once again, a Senju stands between me and my dreams." When a devious smirk graced his lips, Tsunade braced herself for the hell such an expression could summon.

_I am invincible. An immortal._

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Kisame stopped running and smirked, mirroring the arrogant one that was on his fated rival's face.

"These green beasts will be your opponent!" Gai declared cheerfully. Gai and Lee then took the time to smile brilliantly and give their opponent a thumbs-up sign.

Kisame unsheathed his sword. "Just as I wished it to be." Quickly, he took them by surprise in the blink of an eye when he appeared behind them, initiating their battle.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Karin did a cartwheel to escape the rain of shuriken. She straightened herself and casually tossed a shuriken towards her left. She remained non-plussed when the tag she attached on her weapon exploded.

A second later, her shy opponent surged through the smoke and gracefully landed on the ground. A kunoichi, she mused. Her smirked faltered when the said kunoichi arrogantly tossed her hair over her shoulder. The nerve.

"Not so shy now, are you?" she said sarcastically.

Ino waved a hand dissuasively. "That word doesn't exist in my dictionary." She took out few shuriken and even let one of them twirl around her pointer finger and positioned herself. "And neither does 'defeat'."

Karin was more than ready to deflect Ino's attack and lunged forward to meet the blonde halfway. The sound of their kunai continuously clashing echoed all over the place while they moved from one spot to another.

Although Ino was holding up on her own, Karin was still few step ahead and their skill difference was displayed when the latter managed to break through the former's defense, sending her flying across the clearing. Even then, Karin followed her, constantly attacking, never giving Ino a chance to recover.

Ino tasted blood in her mouth, but that was the last thing on her mind. Everything ached and because her vital spots were hit, standing was an effort. She knew another attack was coming. 'Oh, God!' She knew, but her body was still reeling. She felt like she was being steadied, but it wasn't relief that flowed through her. Those hands that held her by her shoulders emanated malice. She braced herself.

Smirking wickedly, Karin slammed her left knee into her opponent's abdomen and took pleasure in seeing the blood that left the blonde's mouth and how those eyes became momentarily empty. She continued smirking after sending Ino flying like a ragged doll, her eyes following her opponent's body as it broke through two tree trunks before slamming into another one.

Groaning, Ino weakly and slowly fisted her trembling hands. The fight had just begun and the fire in her burned fiercer than before.

Karin scowled. Nobody should be able to stand after an attack like that, but here was her opponent, still conscious; still wanting to fight. Stubborn blonde. She lunged forward, her intention vividly clear. Halfway, she pulled back when there was an explosion between her and her prey. When the dust and debris settled, Karin saw another kunoichi standing on a nearby boulder- the same kunoichi who chased her Sasuke for a long time.

Sakura gave a haughty look at her opponent- Sasuke's teammate, her mind blithely corrected causing her heart to slightly wither. "You seemed to have started this battle without me for a quite awhile, I see." Karin thought she was addressing her and she would have replied if not for the familiar voice that caused her eyes to widen.

"That's because you preferred to be late today of all days," an exasperated Ino replied while she walked forward and stood beside her friend and comrade, she placed a fist over her right hip bone. Minus her dirtied and damaged clothes, she looked as if there wasn't a scratch on her. All the wounds she received from her beating and the pain that was pushing her over to unconsciousness were gone. It was all thanks to Sakura who healed her during that short moment when the clouds of dust blanketed them.

Karin shifted her gaze from Ino to Sakura. _This person_, she concluded, _is something else_.

"So you're the girl Sasuke had picked," Sakura stated with venom dripping from her voice.

Karin adjusted her glasses. "Obviously, you couldn't keep him here."

Sakura snorted. "Let's see about that." She and Ino leapt in the air. Although they made it sound like that they were fighting for Sasuke, deep inside, they knew that they were fighting for their pride and honor as kunoichi.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Juugo stopped his light run and gently swatted the bird perching on his left shoulder. He remained calm, but warily watched the shinobi who was apathetically leaning against a tree.

"You're here," Gaara who had his arms crossed over his chest, spoke and peered at his enemy with just his left eye. Languidly, he pushed himself from the trunk and blocked Juugo's path.

Juugo instinctively took a step backward. He didn't know why, but the redhead's calm aura caused a streak of fear to strike through him more than his stone-cold emerald eyes. Who was this man and what storm laid beneath that calm facade of his? Was he a monster just like him?

_He is a monster_, Gaara mused, _just like me_. He remained serene when his opponent transformed into something like a beast whose eyes seemed to tell him that he had a thirst for blood.

Juugo let out a sharp cry and charged at the smirking Gaara.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Suigetsu smiled. Sai smiled wider. Suigetsu widened his smile as well.

_In a battle, it is a common practice to introduce yourself to your opponent_, Sai recalled a line from a book he read.

"Hello," Sai greeted lightly. "I'm Sai.

"Suigetsu," the other shinobi answered sweetly.

They beamed at each other before in a blink of the eye, they met halfway, their blades crossing fiercely.

"Heh," Suigetsu said, his breath slightly fanning Sai's bangs.

That was the end of their conversation as they leapt from one area to another, their fight having already started.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Sasuke placed a hand on the rooftop beneath him to stop his slide backward. He then straightened up.

Naruto straightened from his crouching position, mirroring the other. He smirked upon witnessing the last shreds of Sasuke's Akatsuki coat blown by the wind. "You look better without it," he stated.

For all his sharp intuition, intelligence and observation, it was only at that moment did Sasuke realized that all this time Naruto's attacks weren't half-assed attempts in slashing him, but were actually attacks aimed to destroy his coat. God! What a simple-minded person and yet-

"You really _are_ a dead-last," he commented off-handedly while he brushed a non-existent dust from his right shoulder.

Naruto opened his mouth for a heated retort and stiffened when he felt an arm around his shoulders.

"Dead-last," he heard Sasuke whisper tauntingly from behind before the latter swung his sword.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

At the gush of blood, Hinata was about to approach Tenten who received another cut on her upper left arm, but the latter held a hand, holding her off. She immediately bent backwards to dodge a deadly paper-attack before using her signature technique.

In a second, all papers moving in the air were cut into two and fell to the ground. Without giving her enemy another chance to perform the same technique, Hinata hurled herself forward.

The two parried. Both of them trying to up the other.

"As expected of a Hyuuga," Konan mused as the girl was keeping up with her at the same time, keeping her defense tight.

Hinata mentally scowled. Her attacks weren't getting through. Her opponent was guarding the areas of her body she was aiming at. Although she wasn't impatient, she wanted this fight to be over as soon as possible. Mostly because she was afraid of what could happen if her opponent would gain the upper hand in this battle.

She flipped backward and caught Tenten's gaze. She nodded and hurled herself towards their enemy who disintegrated into shreds of paper, causing Hinata to halt. In an instant, the paper weapons swooped down angrily towards them, and its numbers caused the two kunoichi to freeze.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Blood spurt out from a Konoha shinobi's body as the kunai, which was deeply buried into him, was pulled out. The man above the corpse was about to thrust it into his enemy again when a voice stopped him. "That's enough. There's no need to waste a time on a dead man."

The man dropped the kunai and stepped away. "As you wish," he said and he bowed to his leader whose hood fell from his head, revealing his identity, "Kabuto-sama."

**TBC**

* * *

Kabuto enters... Kukukuku


	11. Espirando

**Standard disclaimer applies.**

**We apologize for the uber lateness of this update. We hope you guys are still following this though.**

* * *

**Espirando**

Kabuto stuck his tongue in the air and tasted blood and death, making him smile. _**Your**__ Sasuke-kun is unconsciously doing your bidding, Orochimaru-sama._

Eyes locked on the village, Kabuto addressed his men in a voice resembling Orochimaru's, "Kill everyone but Sasuke-kun. He's mine." His left yellow eye glinted with malice as he disappeared with his subordinates.

Genma instinctively took a step forward, eyebrows drawn in a baffled look even when he killed his opponent. "Sound ninjas?"

"What the hell are they doing here?" Raidou asked, his back touching Genma's. "This isn't part of the report."

"Part or not, deal with the situation," a voice told them. They whipped their heads to the direction where they heard the said voice.

"Kurenai-san!" Genma exclaimed.

The kunoichi pursed her lips and scanned the area, taking in the situation. When she spoke, she spoke nothing but orders.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Drops of blood fell to the ground where Naruto stood. The blond ripped the right sleeve of his jacket and wrapped it around the wound on his forearm to stop its bleeding. His blue eyes widened when he felt the space close to him distorting, signaling Sasuke's proximity. He threw himself forward in the nick of time, saving his neck from his opponent's sword.

"Even now, you're running away," Sasuke spat. "How pathetic."

To see those dark-eyes filled with derision made Kyuubi's chakra throb inside of Naruto, calling unto him, reminding him of what was at his disposal. "Shut up!" he shouted and moved to meet Sasuke halfway.

_We claim that we understand each other; that we are together. So why are we against each other? Tell me, Sasuke. _

Sasuke thrust his sword. Naruto leaned to the left and sacrificed his right hand, the sound of metal piercing through flesh reverberated amidst the din around them and the pounding of their hearts.

_No, you tell me, Naruto._

Ignoring the sharp and almost blinding pain that scorched his palm, Naruto attacked, catching his opponent off-guard.

Even though Sasuke's body had instinctively leaned back from the danger, Naruto's kunai had cut through his kimono and left a shallow slash across his chest. In retaliation, Sasuke used his Chidori nagare.

Electrocuted, Naruto didn't feel himself falling to the ground or the pain that went of having his skewered hand sliding from one end of the blade to another. He stared at the blue sky, admired the moving clouds, envied the birds flying freely and he wondered what he was doing on such sunny day until Sasuke entered into his field of vision.

_Sasuke._

Sasuke stepped on Naruto's right tanned wrist and right fingers. Apathetically, he pulled his sword- an act that caused blood to spurt out from the blond's wound. He sharply swiped his sword, shaking Naruto's blood off his blade before focusing cold eyes at the man beneath him. He smirked. "I win," he told him and brought his sword down right towards the man's heart.

However what his blade pierced wasn't the blond's beating organ but the ceramic roof. Scowling, he scanned the area and turned his whole body to where a slightly trembling Naruto was pathetically standing. Who would have thought that somebody could start recovering from that shock after such a short time?

Only Naruto.

As much as he hated to admit it, Naruto still surprised him at the same time, exasperated him with his predictability when the blond used his taijuu kage bunshin to buy him some time to recover. He moved in a flash, evading the attacks Naruto's shadow clones threw at him. He effectively slashed his way through the arsenal of kunai being thrown at him, one by one. All that could be seen was a growing cloud of smoke left from the dispersed clones. Once the smoke settled, it was just him and the real Naruto who was still attempting to recover. He strutted towards him, like a predator deliberately taking his time before pouncing on his weakened prey. "Childish techniques are useless on me," he growled and quickly beheaded Naruto with a single slash of his sword.

"Really?" came a sarcastic voice behind him, causing his eyes to widen in surprise.

Naruto gave him a powerful roundhouse kick, that sent him flying, eventually crashing on a roof a few houses over. During his projectile motion, a group of Naruto's kage bunshin chose that opportunity to gang up on him.

**-SasuNaru is love- **

"Did we get him this time?" Kiba asked after another round of his gatsuga.

He had his answer when a swarm of Shino's bugs covered a whole tree, consuming it in an instant.

A distinctive scent wafted from between the rocks under a bald tree towards Kiba's and Akamaru's nose.

Shino watched as his teammate and his dog rained attacks on their slippery enemy. It was obvious that the man was toying with them, wearing them out. He knew that and that was why he should come up with a plan while Kiba did the fighting.

"_I'm getting tired running around,_" Zetsu asked while they disappeared again from Kiba's attack.

"Just a little more." Zetsu's other side replied. "The opportunity isn't here yet."

Akamaru crouched and growled, displeased with the fact that their opponent couldn't stay put nor attack despite the scent of danger he smelled from the man.

Shino watched as their opponent escaped once again, almost instantly from sight. The man obviously had the speed and as long as he had that, the quiet shinobi knew that he and Kiba would have no advantage, but how was he going to counter such speed?

No, it wasn't in them to counter their enemy's speed with speed, and the man moved too fast for them to do anything.

Shino continued thinking despite the debris flying dangerously past him.

When Zetsu found himself surrounded by the tornado that was Kiba and Akamaru, an idea came to mind. He knew he only had seconds to act on it, so without analyzing his plan like he usually did, he sprung into action.

Zetsu, through the tornado of soil and pebbles, failed to notice the tiny insect that landed on his sleeve.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" Kiba muttered repeatedly upon realizing again that the enemy had escaped again. "Coward!" he challenged in irritation. He moved towards the quiet Shino. "Have you come up with a plan yet?"

Shino pushed his dark shades up to the bridge of his nose, "Of course."

"And?"

"Executed."

"W-what?" Kiba exclaimed. "When?"

"Does it matter?"

"What are we going to do now?" Kiba and Akamaru tensed at the piercing cry. Seconds later, a figure appeared, having come out of a nearby tree, writhing and staggering on his feet.

Shino smirked, watching a whole colony of his bugs covering the said "figure" until the man was completely swallowed whole. "Now we watch as my bugs will sting him with their poison and then eat everything, including his bones."

Kiba could only stare at his friend who explained such cruelty with apathetic calmness. He felt his stomach crawl at the speed in which the bugs consumed their prey.

"Game over," he heard Shino murmur, and yet the uncertainty in their stomachs hadn't dissipated even in the least.

"He's dead?"

"He's gone," Shino said. Looking at his friend, he added, "He's not here anymore and looking for him isn't a priority. We have to act as back-up now as the hokage ordered."

Kiba swallowed his protest and quietly obliged.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Sakura and Ino gaped. "Her own skin?!" Ino thought. Watching her biting into her own skin and started sucking disturbed them, but seeing how it revitalized her, healing her wounds and bruises, amazed them.

"Ino," Sakura murmured.

"I know," Ino replied. She knew they were fighting someone who was going to be quite a challenge to defeat. One question came to their heads - how the hell were they going to stop her from recovering?

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Kakashi tapped his chin in contemplation. In a best ratio, it would be two per Konoha shinobi and at worst - He mentally shook his head, knowing that it was pushing them to the limit. Jiraiya died fighting against the man in front of them and he was a sannin!

At a moment like this, he was compelled to say something like an encouragement or assurance, but he had none. All the got was a warning, "Be careful." At that very moment, Pein attacked.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Sai struggled as the liquified Suigetsu strangled him. Sai exploded into black ink, the dark particles tainting and mixing with Suigetsu's water, who then turned back to his solid form.

Thus, they were dancing to the rhythm of battle again, getting closer and closer to the crescendo.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

A strong gale swept the paper weapons and snapped the Konoha kunoichi from their immobility.

"There's no time to freeze, ladies," Temari told them and regarded their enemy who was still returning to her form.

Konan snorted. "Your number won't change a thing," she warned them. However, they were moving again.

Simultaneously, they came upon Konan, flanking her, engaging her in close combat. She raised her left leg to block a kick while she bridged backward to grip Hinata's wrists then she turned sideward using her left leg to deliver a kick that sent Temari sliding few feet away.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

With one single sweep of his arms, Pein or to be exact, one of his forms, sent his opponents flying a meter away.

Paying to attention to the excruciating pain, the three Konoha shinobi immediately stood up.

_This is crazy_, Shikamaru thought as another of Pein broke away from his shadow bind even before Neji could deliver his attack. He immediately bound Pein's arm that was about to plunge a kunai into the Hyuuga member. His left brow twitched at the effort he exerted into having a strong hold on the other who attacked him from behind.

Neji immediately moved. He delivered a powerful attack on the side of the body behind Shikamaru, sending it flying a meter away.

Both men's eyes widened when another Pein appeared between them.

_Damn!_ both of them thought in a split of second before a quick strike sent them flying while gasping in pain.

Kakashi saw Neji's body flying towards him. He knew it would hit him. He knew he could catch it but... He smoothly leapt over Neji, eyes never leaving a certain Pein.

He engaged with another dummy. Their limbs and fists came together in a series of offense and defense.

Pein's face remained emotionless, even when his right hand pierced through Kakashi's chest; even when Kakashi poofed into a log or even when his right arm was cut clean off.

_Shit_, Kakashi muttered under his breath when piercing calm eyes looked at his surroundings, he was hiding quietly for awhile now as he worked on creating a diversion to distract one or two Pein. However, with the short time he had, he only managed to slice an arm. And now, not only had he blown his cover, but also had an enemy standing behind him. He could feel the tip of the kunai brushing against his skin, almost digging. He stilled. In that moment, his world focused on the kunai and the kunai alone because he knew that a single move meant his demise. When it moved in for the kill, Kakashi moved as well with a speed that would have made Minato proud.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

With a graceful landing, Ino perched herself onto a tree. Beside her, Sakura was crouched down. Both of them had injuries, unlike Karin who was getting haughtier because of the advantage she had over them.

"Sakura," Ino started while a bead of sweat mixed with blood slid down to her chin before dropping onto the ground. "I have a plan." She shifted her blue eyes to meet Sakura's emerald ones.

Sakura gave her a nod. "Let's hear it."

Seconds later, the two kunoichi nodded in agreement. They shared a quick but firm handshake before Sakura left to stand a few feet from Karin. She clenched her gloved-hands repeatedly, each squeeze tighter than the last. She gritted her teeth. She dug her soles deeper into the earth, leg muscles tensed for her flight. Fear, anger, pain and excitement rumbled within her. With a cry, Sakura lunged forward.

She ducked, parried and deflected the oncoming attacks. She danced around the kunai and shuriken. She momentarily vanished from eyesight before appearing below Sasuke's teammate. She pulled back her arm and delivered a powerful uppercut.

Ino watched Karin quickly jump back to avoid Sakura's attack and staggered backward when Sakura continued her onslaught of blows- blows that were part of their diversion; blows that pushed the former Sound kunoichi closer to Ino.

In her dance with Sakura, Karin wasn't able to register the sudden spike of Ino's chakra and its flight towards her.

Sakura leaped back when Karin stiffened.

"I-Ino?" she uttered. While she waited for a reply, her chest tightened in fear and anticipation.

Karin smirked, looked at Sakura and said, "Conquered."

Sakura's chest eased up. Her eyes met Karin's and she readied herself. She placed all of her weight on her legs and then dashed towards the auburn-haired kunoichi. Halfway, she pulled arm back for another blow. "Let go, Ino," she shouted as she quickly approached her target. However, Ino remained, still holding on... still suppressing Karin's struggle for freedom.

"Not yet," she mumbled, ignoring her teammate's half-command and half-plea.

"Ino-pig!" Sakura screamed while she delivered the strongest punch she could manage in her condition.

When Sakura's fist was just a hairsbreadth away and when Karin's skin tingled with Sakura's chakra, Ino quickly relinquished her control back to Karin.

Karin saw the fist coming towards her. She saw it but it was already too close for her body to react. In a split second, intense mind-numbing pain exploded starting from her left check to every corner of her being.

Knowing that the impact of her punch was still muddling their enemy's brain, Sakura took that as a chance. She was a medical ninja trained to heal, however she was also, first and foremost, a ninja trained to kill and to die for her village. With chakra silhouetting her hands, she proceeded in messing up the nervous system of the now unconscious kunoichi.

When Karin slumped to the ground, Ino and Sakura crouched down. Still wary, Sakura pressed a kunai against the prone kunoichi while Ino opened her eyelids to make sure that she was truly unconscious. Sakura sighed in relief when Ino confirmed that Karin was out cold. She watched as her blonde friend injected something into their enemy's arm.

"That will keep her asleep and sedated," Ino said. She blinked when Sakura held a needle towards her.

"I made it myself, but Tsunade-sama hasn't approved it yet," she heard her explain. "It keeps exhaustion at bay, but there are also side-"

Ino cut her off by taking it because she knew they still had a lot of work to do. Side effects be damned. Knowing Sakura, she assumed that the side effects weren't fatal. "We still have a long day ahead of us."

Sakura nodded. The two shared a giggle- a sweet sound amidst the din of battle.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Iruka was undaunted. Outnumbered but undaunted as he stared down his opponents. Twenty Sound shinobi, he mentally pointed out. At best, he could take out four simultaneously.

A bead of sweat slid from Iruka's temple to his chin and was airborne as the man charged, more than ready to shed blood and have his blood shed. He was jarred from his mental state when a gigantic hand slammed down on his enemies like a rolled newspaper on an unsuspecting fly. He didn't miss the squashing noises that made his stomach churn.

He gave the head of the Akimichi clan a grateful look. Nearby, the heads of Nara and Yamanaka clans were fighting as well.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

"Kurenai-san!" Raido called while slashing snakes that were stopping him from coming to her aid.

Kurenai struggled more when the grip around her throat tightened, causing more white spots to dance along the edges of her vision. She could feel the talons of darkness closing in on her.

The next thing she knew, oxygen flooded her lungs, she gulped hungrily for more air. After quickly regaining her sense, she found herself sitting on the ground. She looked at towards Kabuto's direction. The man stood between Kurenai and her opponent was none other than Hyuuga Hiashi.

She staggered to her feet just as the Hyuuga leader said, "Leave him to me."

Hiashi's eyes locked on to Orochimaru's right-hand man. Although Kabuto was emanating an overwhelming killing aura, the Hyuuga remained stoic and arrogant. He stared down at his enemy and slowly, his lips curled slightly for a ghostly smirk.

With the clan leaders joining, hope for Konoha's survival shone brighter.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Konan flicked her gaze on Tenten who was clawing against the strings of paper that bound her like the criminal that she was. "The god's messenger should be respected," she chided her in a cool voice. She slowly turned her gaze to the other two Konoha shinobi who were bleeding profusely and gasped for air. "You will be punished and killed."

Konan spoke calmly with the glint of madness made itself known through her eyes. As Konan spoke, Hinata; with her byakugan, cut off the chakra lines that controlled the paper binds, freeing Tenten and surprising their enemy. Half-supporting Tenten, Hinata joined Temari and her clone.

"Your turn," Hinata told Temari under her breath. Temari nodded and summoned a wind creature. Their gazes met and the tiny fluffy creature nodded in understanding. It zoomed up in the air, whirling around and around and gaining momentum. Just moments after its summoning, it became a mass of whirling wind and it dropped on Konan immediately. However, the Rain kunoichi had a lot of time to dodge. In the end, Temari's attack went into the earth.

_Powerful but useless_, Konan thought about the recent attack, she performed a few quick hand signs, willing to show the brats what a truly powerful attack would look like. Konan suddenly gasped with her eyes wide as saucers in surprise when something crashed onto her, causing her to be pushed forward. With her shock ebbing away, realization dawned on her that she was wet. Not just wet, but soaking wet.

From the hole that attack caused, water gushed out, but the force had come from behind. She looked behind her and saw an identical fountain and hovering above the gushing water was the fluffy creature. She was certain that the damned creature dug its way out. Through her wet locks plastered on her face, she glared at the creature that appeared to be looking at her with mocking eyes.

Temari patted its head before dismissing it. "Thought we should even the playing field," she told their enemy, unmindful of the drizzle. While their plan was simple, it had took a while to execute it. Hinata had to look for an area that had water running beneath the soil and once she found it, they had to lead Konan to that area- constantly raining her with attacks and using Tenten as a decoy before she- Temari could summon the wind creature. The plan gave them the result they wanted. Of course they had taken into account that the area would become a pool of mud.

Water falling heavily after the cloud burst... mud below their feet... the battle resumed.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Juugo, despite his body mass his transformation had lent, moved nimbly and quickly. To hold him off, Gaara instructed his sands. At his command, one grain of sand after another rose in the air until they gathered to create a colossal wave. Just before the massive force of the wave of sand could crush Juugo with its power, Gaara's opponent moved within the blink of an eye. However, Gaara expected this movement, so he pulled his sands to rise like foam and coil around his enemy. He closed his hands into fists and the sands tightened their hold on their prisoner's legs, trying to crush those limbs.

Juugo howled in pain. He struggled. He growled. His skin turned a shade darker- a telltale sign that he had transformed again. Then, with a final yell, he broke free.

A transformed Juugo rushed through the walls of sand Gaara had created as the former made its way towards him. Despite the thickness of the sand-walls, Juugo made it look as though he was running through mere sheets of paper. He was unstoppable and Gaara realized that the moment Juugo, with his body bulging with muscles, crashed into him. The crash sent Gaara flying through ten or more trees. Juugo smiled, the rush of adrenaline made his thirst of blood stronger within him.

"What are you staring at?" he heard a cool voice ask. Juugo quickly turned to face his opponent, but Gaara threw a few grains of sand to distract Juugo. Juugo growled when few grains got into his eyes, but instead of ridding himself of the irritation, self-preservation made him throw himself at Gaara.

Both men tumbled into the sand and Juugo immediately pummeled his huge fists into Gaara's face. Each contact splattered Gaara's blood. Each connection further cracked Gaara's protective sand armor.

Juugo quickly leapt on his body, burying him deeper into the sand. Juugo let out a triumphant yell when he sank down, sand reaching his knees, his enemy's body still beneath his feet. With a twist of his ankles, he felt this opponent's ribs break.

_Victory._

His victory. He blinked, belatedly realizing that he could see again.

A foot from him, sands stirred and parted to give way to their master who was rising from their depths... from their protective embrace.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Sai savored the prickling sensation coming from his left side. He identified it quickly as pain. Pain was the first sensation he felt upon joining Team Seven. While the pain he got from Sakura was meant to punish him, the pain he felt now was meant to torture him. Instead of grimacing, he smiled his most beautiful but fake smile, trying to mislead his enemy.

Suigetsu grinned too while he strutted his way towards the suffering man. He swung his sword and lopped off his opponent's head.

However, it wasn't only Sai who got beheaded but also Suigetsu. Standing behind the missing-nin was the real Sai.

The blob of water that was Suigetsu glided and solidified when he gained a fair distance from the pale Konoha shinobi. He rolled his neck to loosen tense muscles and said, "Haven't you learned yet that defeating me was a futile effort?"

Sai shrugged. "I learned from someone that persistence is the key."

Suigetsu snickered. "He must be stupid."

Sai tilted his head slightly to his right before agreeing. "He is, in most areas."

"Y'know, I think you and I can get along well."

"Aren't we getting along now?" Sai asked. It was obvious to him that Suigetsu wasn't serious and so was he.

Suigetsu flashed a boyish grin. "Well, yeah, but if I see an opening, I'll kill you."

Dark eyes glinting with mischief and wry amusement, Sai replied, "Me too."

Having come to an agreement, they clashed again. While there was a hint of playfulness in their movements, there was fierceness in them as well, but not of battle... A fierceness of a spar.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Tsunade didn't know whether to feel lucky or insulted that Madara wasn't using his Sharingan in their fight until Shizune rolled straight across and past her. Like a rag doll.

The area was nearly indistinguishable due to Tsunade's punches and techniques. While her body hadn't shown exhaustion yet, her skin had started crinkling - her young appearance slowly eroding, proof that she wasted the majority of her chakra.

Tsunade's brows came together as she continued thinking of a plan. She only managed to get close to him five times, but never physically hit him. Madara always managed to dodge or put a distance in between them. If she could just close the dimension he seemed to be using, then it would be taking down one of his defenses.

With mocking solemnity, Madara looked down at the godaime from a pile of debris and said, "I'll return his body after extracting Kyuubi."

Tsunade scowled.

It wasn't like he loved riling people up, but he knew that when one gets too emotional, their judgement is impaired and he wanted nothing more than to see Tsunade to fall into that trap.

"I'm immortal," he reminded her again.

"You won't be for long," Tsunade spat while an idea came to mind, but could she take the risks and consequences?

Her answer echoed within her whole being like a gong in the stillness of mid-winter.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Kankurou couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled within him as more Oto shinobi, one after another fell by his hands. He had taken down one platoon single-handedly and yet he felt like his comrades who massacred weren't avenged.

_More_, his anger shouted. Those words throbbed in him together with the pounding of his heart.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

With a sudden and hard shove, Sasuke snapped his dislodged shoulder back into place with a slight flinch. Quietly, he peeled off his ripped kimono - wet with his sweat, and blood from the both of them. His upper body was littered with bruises and minor cuts, but he knew he could still go on.

Not to far from him was Naruto, who rid of his jacket that felt like fetters in the heat of his battle with Sasuke. He leapt in the air, just a milliseconds earlier before shuriken hit the place where he once stood. Still suspended in the air, he twisted his body and his eyes widened to see the symbol on his attackers' headbands.

Oto shinobi.

Waves of anger rose up inside him, churning around him, above him before it swept him away.

Familiar heat and heady sensation rolled throughout his entire body while Kyuubi's powerful chakra started pumping into his chakra pathways. He dispatched hundreds of clones to engage with the Oto bastards before he turned his gaze to his real enemy... to the traitor... to the apple of discord. When he did, his eyes were no longer sky blue, but the color of blood.

A streak of fear shot through Sasuke at that malicious gaze that was sent his way. The next thing he knew, he was on the ground being pummeled by Naruto's swift and angry punches. Every punch that landed on his face, the number of white spots dancing on the corner of his eyes seemed to only further cloud his vision. The skin that met Naruto's punches tingled in pain and with Kyuubi's chakra.

"You son of a bitch," he heard Naruto growl. "Affiliating yourself to Akatsuki isn't enough, so you called those comrades of yours?!"

Gathering all his strength, he threw Naruto off and delivered a punch that sent the blond flying meters away. Sasuke followed him and silently landed on a nearby roof where this battle of theirs had began. By then, Naruto had managed to fight back that tempting chakra.

"They are not my comrades," he stated, his voice laden with angry exasperation.

"I have enough of your lies!" Naruto screamed once more and lunged forward. However, he immediately leapt back in an attempt to avoid what he believed would be an attack towards him when he saw Sasuke making hand seals.

Sasuke pressed both hands on the rooftop and not a second later, a barrier boxed them both in. Naruto was about to question Sasuke's action until Sasuke calmly spoke, "No one gets in... no one gets out," Naruto felt his skin crawl with the manner in which Sasuke spoke, "Unless one of us dies." He pulled his sword from the ground, propped the blunt side of the blade on his shoulder and gave the blond a wicked tilt of his lips, madness glinting on those obsidian eyes.

"You're insane, asshole," Naruto snarled.

Both of them leapt in the air, clashing halfway. They blurred and came at one another again as colors of blue against orange. Orange against blue.

Naruto moved backward and Sasuke in his usual speed, followed him, breaking into his personal space, surprising the blond. He shot out his left hand to grab a fist of golden strands. He pulled Naruto's head back and stared into those wide blue eyes.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Sasuke found himself in the sewers of Naruto's mind just as he wanted to be... just as he expected to be.

It was dark and except for the dripping sounds, it was silent. The place was still and calm - proof of Naruto's emotional state. He snorted. It seemed the blond had managed to improve his control.

He walked further until he stood in front of that gate. Behind those bars, he knew his tool to victory lay. It might be quiet and dark, but his ears could hear the soft breathing of the beast. He blinked and his heart jumped when a paw slam against the bars and red eyes peered down on him.

Kyuubi chuckled. "We meet again, Uchiha brat."

Sasuke didn't answer and didn't cower. He regarded the beast with the same insolence he regarded everyone.

Kyuubi snorted and watched as those obsidian eyes bled to red; as those tomoe appeared and swirled with the cursed power given to the Uchiha clan.

Sasuke reached a hand, ready to control the beast and ready to destroy the seal until a green light flashed beneath him, blinding his eyes and destroying his focus. The light receded until it became a faint glow. Sasuke looked down and found a seal... a circular seal, a seal he hadn't seen before and to think Orochimaru kept many records of different seals. A seal that was divided into three parts, each parts running on the line that divides them. Each part had a dot.

What was the purpose of the seal?

Kyuubi threw his head back and laughed at the confusion evident on the brat's face. His laughter was mocking and that made Sasuke throw a sharp glare towards the demon.

Sasuke reached forward again, but stopped when he heard a voice from his left side. "You can't do anything you want in here, Sasuke."

Naruto.

He turned to his left and Naruto stepped out from the dark.

"That seal. I ask a priestess to place that on me." Sasuke scowled. "You can get in my mind but other than that, there's nothing else you can do."

Not trusting the blond's words, Sasuke tried to destroy the seal with his chakra. The seal rippled and flickered, as if bending to the strength of the chakra just like how the bamboo trees bend to the winds, yet it remained - steadfast in its purpose.

With hostility, Sasuke regarded Naruto.

In a split second, they sunk back into reality. A slightly panting Naruto pulled away from Sasuke, wanting nothing more but to put a distance between them. The dark-haired teen immediately lunged forward and kicked Naruto's right ankle underneath him, preventing him from completely leaping away. He slammed the blond into the ground and straddled him.

"Sasuke!" Naruto gasped as he struggled, his heart beating wildly out of worry, having a good guess what Sasuke was about to do. "Get off of me, you piece of shit!"

With tanned arms secured to his sides and completely trapping Naruto, Sasuke smirked and peered down at his prey. Naruto had drove him into this. If he hadn't put that seal in place, then he didn't have to use his sharingan on him. He wouldn't have put him into the madness an Uchiha could summon with his illusion.

"This is your fault, Naruto," he muttered before he drew him into his illusion.

Naruto's chest tightened. He didn't know what awaited him, but he knew it would be a horror that would snap his fragile control and push him over the edge. He expected a bloody sky and red moon hanging low. He expected dry land that continued on and on, but all he saw were red eyes spinning... Sasuke's red eyes. He blinked.

Was this part of the illusion? Was this his illusion?

He reached up to that face, cupping it. It felt so real. So confused was he that he failed to see the surprise that fleeted across Sasuke's face.

"Naruto?"

Still desperate to be free, the blond pushed Sasuke away and doing so was easy because the latter was caught off guard. He stood up, once more to flee so he could get his bearings back; so he could understand this confusion. However, a hand gripped his wrist, whirling him around and pulled him back. His eyes met Sasuke's red ones once more.

Sasuke tried. There was no way his eyes would fail him. There was no way he had made a mistake and yet, when their gazes met again, nothing had changed. Naruto wasn't pulled in even though he could feel chakra pumping in his veins surrounding his eyes.

Naruto must had sense something was off because his blue eyes widened too.

"It's not working," he stated dumbly.

Sasuke scowled. He didn't need Naruto to point that out. "What did you do, Naruto?" he demanded, his grip on tanned wrist tightening.

His question reached Naruto's ears as nothing but faint echoes as he was drawn back to that day... to that time... to that encounter with that man.

The talk. The crows flapping around them. That crow that forced itself into his mouth, gagging him. To those words...

"I-Itachi," Naruto murmured before he could stop himself; before he himself could even comprehend.

Sasuke's eyes turned a shade darker. "What did you say?" he asked slowly, each word emphasized.

"Itachi," Naruto repeated again and he took a step backward, very wary of the shinobi in front of him.

Sasuke felt his heart drop to the pit of his stomach. He didn't understand what Itachi did, but it was logical. Itachi had been stronger than him and for his older brother to leave something for Naruto to protect himself with... it was an unspeakable act of betrayal. Naruto betrayed him. He had abandoned him. As for Itachi? That bastard played him and betrayed him over and over again. They were both traitors. Both of them were the source of his pain.

He let Naruto go just as he swung his sword. Anger and pain made him focus more on Naruto... on his unavoidable demise because Naruto was the only one alive whom he could lash out to. His brother was gone. He attacked over and over again, making it hard for Naruto to counterattack. Whatever time Naruto had, the blond spent it by blocking and dodging.

He hated him and he told Naruto that over and over again in time with his attacks.

"I fucking hate you!" he screamed as he thrust his sword.

More than the bruises and the sword cuts, Sasuke's words hurt. It hurt so much that he felt like having been ripped open and tossed to a sea of salt and vinegar; he wanted Sasuke to taste his emotional pain in a physical level. With a roar, he swung his kunai, with his elemental chakra wrapping around it.

Weapons clashed and clattered at the force that was exerted on them. Then suddenly, Sasuke's blade snapped into two with its half flying to their side. However, Sasuke immediately reacted by letting his chakra flow through his sword and replaced the missing half of his blade so that they could continue.

That chakra flowed from that source again... pushing into his veins... poisoning his humanity and clouding his vision. It called unto him. It whispered power beyond his imagination. It promised victory. It lulled him closer and the closer he got, the stronger and faster he became. His features were slowly transforming. With a howl, he went at Sasuke with a flurry of kicks that took the wind off his sail. Sasuke returned with several kick-punch combinations that he delivered with severity and speed.

Sasuke jumped backward. Growling, Naruto followed his enemy's movements with his reddish eyes before vanishing.

Even with his sharingan activated, Sasuke only saw the after image of the blond flickering. He was tempted to use amaterasu right there and then, but that was reserved for those old goats. Instead, he settled for an ordinary technique, but just as deadly under the command of an Uchiha.

He casted the technique, building a wall of leaping flame between him and the blond. He saw a silhouette- Naruto's, before the blond emerged from the scorching orange ribbons, crouched in a feline-like manner. In a way, with the red mist coating his body and with that tail, the blond could have passed as a feline creature.

Sasuke caught the blond by his arms. He whirled around taking the blond with him before he threw him back into the sea of flames.

The flames swirled downward and instantly sucked into a vortex.

Rasengan and Naruto.

"Eat this!" Naruto growled behind him while he pummeled his flaming rasengan into Sasuke's body. At the contact of the chakra ball on his opponent, Sasuke fell to the ground as a pile of snakes.

The tension in the air was broken by the the loud chirping noises of a thousand birds. Naruto looked down just as crooked strands of blue chakra rose up, forming an oblong shape that surrounded him.

He howled then slumped on the ground, tottering between oblivion and reality. One of his fingers twitched. Sleeping and giving up was so easy, he knew that, but this wasn't the time nor the place. The only good thing he got from the attack was that the shock calmed the raging chakra inside him, letting him gain complete control. He groaned. Patches of his skin that were burnt off by fire and electricity were healed, but Kyuubi couldn't fix the mess the electric shock caused on the blonde's system.

What could have been a blink became longer when Sasuke's body shut down momentarily. When he gained consciousness, he found the ground so close to him. He placed a foot in front of him and immediately straightened up.

Naruto with trembling arms and legs pushed himself to his feet and staggered, trying to keep himself from falling and trying his best to steady himself.

Sasuke knew he had only a small amount of chakra left. He was tired and he was certain that Naruto was too. Although the latter still had a huge amount of chakra left - chakra that wasn't Kyuubi's. A pang of jealousy blossomed in him - the same jealousy that gripped him every time he thought how lucky Naruto was when it came to his stamina and his chakra.

Both of them stood a distance away from the other, wheezing, bleeding and panting. Their gazes met and they knew both of them were tired. They had to end it.

Sasuke used his chidori, letting it wrap around his left arm. If Kakashi saw him, he would have been saddened that the technique he taught Sasuke to use to protect his loved ones was the technique he would use to kill Naruto.

Naruto loved his rasengan, but with just hardly any chakra left, he would not stand a chance against an elemental attack like chidori and he had his memory of the Valley of End to remind him of that. Rasengan would not give him the result he wanted. Imitating Sasuke, he let his elemental chakra wrap itself around his arm. He knew his element was weak against Sasuke's but he had no choice. He just had to gain advantage by surprising his enemy.

His chest tightened. It had come to this, but he had made a decision, he had placed the village above Sasuke and had let go of that hand. He pulled his lips in a snarl and screamed Sasuke's name as he lunged toward his enemy.

Sasuke's lips pursed before he moved forward to meet Naruto halfway. He knew and accepted that Naruto's demise meant full control of his very own power.

"Sakura," Ino asked when Sakura suddenly paused in their walk. For a while now, they did nothing but heal the injured. Did she find a fallen comrade or did she detect an enemy? She followed her gaze. "It's a barrier," she pointed out.

"Naruto," she heard her mutter before she sprinted off, leaving Ino concerned.

With her green eyes focused on that barrier, she leapt from one tree to another. Her heart pounded and blood rushed through her veins. She didn't want them to die, especially not Naruto... her Naruto.

She dashed past the clearing and her eyes widened. Fear and the painful feeling of loss rose up and went past her lips in a blood-curling scream. "NARUTO!"

Naruto's eyes were wide with pain - burning and soul-consuming pain- exploded from his chest. A split second later, wiry fingers of coldness clawed inside him.

"My win," Sasuke said in his usual emotionless voice yet to Naruto, it felt like he shouted it.

Distantly, he heard a scream of his name.

_Sakura._

He always made her worry. He wanted to turn his head and assure her that it was okay, but he remained immobile. Tears started gathering in his eyes because he couldn't deny it anymore.

_I am dying._

_**TBC**_

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Author's Notes: The symbol Sasuke saw inside Naruto's mind is the Tibetan Symbol Nor Bu Gsum-Khyil (Unicode:0FCB. UTF8: E0 BF 8B). We hope nobody is offended by our using of this. By the way, is it just me or is the Tibetan Mark Caret Yig Mgo Phur Shad Ma (Unicode 0F06. UTF8: E0 BC 86 ) similar to the symbol on the arm of Konoha's ANBU?


	12. Con Dolore

**Standard disclaimer applies  
**

**We apologized for making you wait this long. Things are crazy in reality which was the reason for this long silence. Anyway, please enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

** Chapter 11: Con Dolore**

Sasuke let out a low hiss of breath before he gazed at a pair of tear-stained, blue eyes in front of him. He smirked, "My win."

_Their hearts thumped wildly. His elemental chakra hummed quietly while Sasuke's chirp noisily. The wind was against their body as they threw themselves forward to deliver a blow that would end their fight that had started a long time ago._

_They each pulled back their arm to increase the force of the blow, lips in a snarl, eyes glistened in determination and teeth bared. They angled their bodies and thrust their arms forward, penetrating flesh once then twice. All movements ceased and the dust settled on the battleground. Once cleared, there was a gruesome sight. Both opponents' had their chests pierced by the other's hand._

This was what Naruto had imagined. This was what Sasuke had imagined for a worst case scenario. However, the outcome of their battle was different, too different.

Naruto forced his mouth to move so he could ask one question that echoed in his mind. "Why?" He lowered his gaze to look at the hand that never penetrated his chest. "Why?" He repeated again. He wanted nothing more than to pull away his hand that pierced through Sasuke's chest as if to hide the proof of his cruelty... of his betrayal, but he knew that doing so would hasten Sasuke's death.

Sasuke's smirk widened, causing another trickle of blood to slid from the side of his mouth. He finally understood why his brother chose the village over their clan and why his brother chose him over the village and it was that understanding that made him release his chakra a hairsbreadth from its target. It was a last minute change of heart. Looking at those hurting blue eyes, he simply answered with sincerity, "I can't destroy Konoha with you in it."

At that confession, Naruto's tears started falling gently. He wrapped an arm around Sasuke for an embrace, as if that would keep death from snatching his friend or stop the latter from slipping. He slowly lowered himself and Sasuke onto the ground. "Release the barrier, Sasuke," he commanded, his voice trembling with hysteria. "Sakura-chan is nearby. She can-" He stopped at the feel of one sticky hand on his cheek and gazed down to half-empty obsidian eyes.

Sasuke shook his head. "Let my madness end here," he said. He knew he wouldn't stop. Just because he couldn't kill Naruto didn't mean he wouldn't stop seeking vengeance. He would draw Naruto out... keep him away from the village. Keep him by his side where he should be.

"Sasuke..."

There was so much grief on that face that even though, it hurt to speak, he whispered, "You said you wouldn't cry if I died."

_Let me die by your hand, Naruto._

"You said you'd kill me!"

"Hn." Sasuke closed his eyes. However, the insistent, but gentle shake of his shoulder made him open them.

"Look at me."

Sasuke quietly snorted. Colors and figures melted together, and amongst the blurry abyss, the only thing he saw with sharp clarity was Naruto. While his body was numb, either because of pain or to herald Death's coming, he could still vividly feel Naruto's heat... his warmth that made him oblivious to the crawling coldness. It was a good way to die.

_Naruto._

There was so much to say, so many things left unsaid, but he didn't have much time left to say them. It hurt to speak, let alone, breathe. All he could say while he was cradled by Naruto's trembling arms was, "Only you." He slid a hand to settle on tanned nape. "Only you." He pulled Naruto down. "Only you." He pressed his lips against the blond's.

It was their last deep kiss and it tasted of blood and was bittersweet. It was laden with unsaid words and of unexpressed feelings. During the kiss, Naruto's body hummed with a sensation that was so novel that he blamed it on the situation they were in.

Sasuke pulled away. Even though he hadn't exacted vengeance, he felt strangely accomplished.

"Na..." He blindly looked at the blue sky. "...ru..." He felt the wind. "...to." He smiled and let the wind carry him.

_I loved you more than I did my brother._

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Feeling the shift of the wind, Juugo stopped moving and let the weapons of sand pierced through him. With his cage gone, there was no one to hold him back. There would be nothing but a sense of inhumanity, monstrosity and bloodthirstiness for him and he refused to walk to that path. Death was a haven for him.

Although victorious, Gaara didn't feel satisfied the slightest bit.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Sai and Suigetsu had their weapons crossed when the barrier that surrounded Naruto and Sasuke had splintered into faintly glowing dust. Both of them saw the tiny particles being lifted to the sky before fading. The two men pulled away and smiled at each other as they relaxed their bodies.

"Good-bye ," Sai said.

Suigetsu snorted and rolled his eyes. "See you," he replied before disappearing.

The dark-haired lad tilted his head to the left in contemplation. What were the chances of them meeting again?

**-SasuNaru is love-**

A grimacing Pein gasped from where he had slumped from the latest hit Tsunade managed to land on him. "I'm immortal," he said it again in the umpteenth time as if Tsunade wasn't convinced yet.

The hokage stared down at him. "You're immobile," she stated haughtily and with certainty because she wasn't just hitting random parts of his body, as much as it appeared. "And that's all I need."

She started making hand seals — hand seals that Madara saw once performed by Konoha's hero and hand seals performed by two of Tsunade's predecessors to save and protect the villagers.

Tsunade had no qualms doing the hand seals. She was a kunoichi, one of the legendary sannin and a hokage. She was bound to give her life to the village she had lived for and sworn to protect. She had no regrets in dying like this.

Shizune just watched from the sidelines. She didn't bother stopping Tsunade, she knew what her superior was doing and the consequence that went with it. While she was sad that she would lose her dearest friend, she understood everything too well, so she just watched. She could only watch.

Madara mentally smiled. Things were going according to his plans and smoother than he expected. He wasn't exactly immobile. In fact, Tsunade's attacks never made contact with any part of his body, but to ensure his victory, he faked his injuries and even danced to his opponent's tune. In the end, it would only be Tsunade who would perish and be trapped in that world.

Tsunade's lips twisted in a snarl as she completed the seal. She could see death-apathetic and arrogant, waiting to take Madara's life along with hers.

Madara smirked at the glowing hands that were moving towards him when he heard Zetsu's voice.

"Sasuke-kun is dead."

Madara wouldn't have given a damn if his descendant's death didn't mean his failure. With a growl and a fierce glare, he disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving a surprised Tsunade and a relieved Shizune.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Naruto bit his trembling lower lip, pressed his forehead against Sasuke's and clenched his eyes shut, teardrops falling slowly as he grappled with the fact that Sasuke was already dead; that he killed him. Was an apology enough? Would an honest confession make a difference?

Madara and Zetsu appeared behind Naruto, who in his emotional state, didn't notice their sudden appearance, let alone their presence.

Madara snorted at the pathetic scene. Just when Sasuke was so close to reinstating their clan to glory, the lad threw it in the wind for the jinchuuriki. Useless descendants, all of them! He smiled. No, Sasuke wasn't useless; foolish, yes, but not useless. After all, the jinchuuriki before him was already battle weary. He took a step forward.

"You'll be with him soon."

Naruto stiffened at the dangerous tone that voice held. He looked over his shoulder and recognized them for the coats they were wearing.

Akatsuki bastards.

From somewhere deep within him, something rose and flowed throughout his system and left his body to manifest as black flame. Those black flames lashed out to where his would-be captors were. Recognizing the flames for what they were, Madara, caught off guard, looked astounded.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

Hiashi gracefully slid a foot on the ground as he took position for his final blow, his purple eyes never leaving Kabuto once.

"Hakke Rokujuuyonshou," he said moving forward. In a snap, Kabuto disappeared and materialized in the area where Madara used to stand. Even before the medic-nin could register what was going on and how he ended up in that place, the black flames had engulfed him hungrily. Few steps away, Madara and Zetsu watched, completely indifferent and deaf to the cries of Orochimaru's right-hand man.

"How is that possible?" Zetsu asked, completely baffled and yet awed. No one could produce that black flame aside from an Uchiha and yet-

"Sasuke-kun had placed a seal on him," a seething Madara spat. He couldn't get his hands on Sasuke because Itachi had placed a seal to protect his younger brother from his clutches and now, the said younger brother had done the same to the blond nuisance, "Sasuke-kun transferred his memories of the Akatsuki members into the jinchuuriki."

"If that is the case, then no one from our group can get near him," Zetsu said. "Capturing him is impossible."

Madara gritted his teeth. The Uchiha clan was really cursed with foolishness. His descendants were useless to his plans. Looking at his subordinate with his eyes flashing with cold anger, he answered, "For the moment, yes. Tell everyone to withdraw immediately." Having given his absolute order, Madara vanished with one thought on his mind — a recruitment for new members was in order.

Naruto owlishly blinked at the burnt corpse that was Kabuto's. What happened? Wasn't it Madara who was standing there a few seconds ago? What were those black flames that emitted from his body? He knew it wasn't Kyuubi's because the sensation that hummed within him was different whenever Kyuubi's chakra flowed through him, but it was almost similar to what he felt during his last kiss with Sasuke.

_Sasuke..._

He looked at his friend who would never be able to explain to him what he did.

"Sasuke," he mumbled softly.

"Naruto," came a soft whisper. He looked up and saw emerald eyes, looking at him sorrowfully.

"Sakura-chan..." He paused, his throat tightened painfully, choking him because the guilt that washed over him was ten times heavier than before, now that his female teammate was with him.

Sakura placed a dainty hand on his left arm, reminding him that the hand connected to that arm was still buried deep into Sasuke's chest. He stiffened.

"Take your hand out so I can close his wound," Sakura told him quietly. She didn't flinch at the sound that came with the withdrawal of Naruto's hand or at the blood or at the gaping wound. She looked at Sasuke and her chest constricted at the peaceful look her former teammate had. Her facial muscles which were taut, loosened as affection made its way on her visage and her eyes softened while she slowly healed not only his wounds but all of his bruises. Despite all the things Sasuke did; despite the detestation she had towards him, Sasuke was still her teammate and she felt grief settling heavily in her. Before she knew it, tears had blurred her vision before they slowly fell to the ground.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto started again, but the pink-haired kunoichi shook her head, because she knew there was something more important than this conversation, more than hearing Naruto's unneeded apology. "Naruto, they'll want his body for investigation." That statement alone made the Naruto's back stiffen, his body tense. Both of them, especially Naruto refused to have Sasuke's body cut open.

"Go before they know... before they arrive. I'll buy you time."

"But you can't. If they know, you'll be punished," Naruto said as he secured Sasuke's corpse before standing.

"It doesn't matter. I'm part of Team Seven."

"Saku-"

"Go," Sakura commanded harshly. Protecting Sasuke in his death was the only thing she could do for him; for her; for Naruto... for the team seven that they were. She gave him a teary smile before he disappeared to bury Sasuke.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

_Good night, Sasuke._

At the training grounds of the Uchiha compound, just a few steps from the Lake Sasuke used to practice his Fire techniques during his childhood, Naruto stood and watched while flames rose up to claim Sasuke. His eyes were transfixed as those burning fringes seemed to bow before wrapping themselves around the flame master, drawing him into their protective embrace, partaking on his flesh so he- Sasuke would return to where he came from; so he would live eternally.

Naruto looked at Sasuke's broken sword. He tenderly rubbed a thumb on the hilt before tossing it to the lake, letting it sink where it would have its eternal slumber on the lake bed. He tilted his head to sky, tears still streaming down his cheeks.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

The injured were given medical attention. Corpses were gathered and separated. Those that belonged to the village were given a proper burial and the rest were handed over to the investigation department to be examined and later on, disposed. Damaged and destroyed establishments were reconstructed or renovated. Konoha was once more full of activities as its villagers went about their lives.

Punishments- immediately effective once the village would completely settle down were handed down on those who had disobeyed Tsunade's orders. As expected, Neji and Shikamaru remained quiet while their hokage read their punishment. However, it was a surprise that Naruto, instead of complaining, just remained quiet while his crimes- breaking the chain of command and disposing of Sasuke's body were being read followed by the corresponding disciplinary actions. When everything was said, he just nodded and disappeared, leaving a torn Tsunade with a headache.

For five days, Naruto just remained in his apartment, quietly grieving, brooding and staring at his arm that was tainted with Sasuke's blood. Although he had washed it countless times, he still saw Sasuke's blood on his skin. In the silence of the night, the sound of his arm piercing Sasuke's chest echoed. It haunted him and his guilt manifested into nightmares that seemed to drive him crazy.

For five days, his friends came to visit him. All of them would, more out of respect to Naruto, say a little prayer to the tiny shrine the blond had for Sasuke. They would talk with Naruto who seemed more and more repressed as each day passed, hoping it would give a handle that would stop him from completely slipping away.

Naruto knew everybody meant well, but they never understood, even Sakura who knew too much about what happened between him and Sasuke. He hadn't lost a friend, a comrade, a teammate, a brother or a lover. He lost Sasuke.

After five days of just staying at his apartment, he was summoned to stand in front of the council.

The atmosphere of the room was neutral and the look the councillors and Tsunade gave him was unreadable. Instead of being bothered about it, he couldn't bring himself to. He stood in their midst, infuriatingly apathetic as he had been since Sasuke's death. He heard the words of the head councillor, but his brain didn't register them. Nothing mattered anymore, not even accusations or punishment. He wouldn't give a damn if the punishment given to him was changed into execution. In fact, execution would be a perfect punishment for a man who killed his best friend.

However, contrary to what Naruto thought, the council had another reason why they had him summoned and the blond realized that when he heard the words he longed to hear.

"... With these in consideration, you are hereby given the title of Rokudaime."

Blue eyes widened.

"In a condition that you'll under training under Tsunade-hime for a year or until we deem you to be ready to take the mantle of leadership."

The room was silent once more while the council waited for Naruto's reply. It took a while, but when Naruto looked at them to speak, there was a small smile on his face and his blue eyes gleamed with conviction.

**-SasuNaru is love-**

That evening, Sakura dropped by Naruto's place. Her visit didn't surprise the blond shinobi who expected her, certain that word had gotten around.

"You got promoted," she said quietly as she took a seat across her friend.

"Yeah."

She lifted her gaze to his and added, "But you refused."

The blond looked away.

"Why, Naruto? Isn't it your dream to be a Hokage?"

Sighing, Naruto carded a hand through his hair. "I'm not cut out for the job, Sakura," he answered plainly. His eyebrows creased together and his eyes darkened before he continued, "A person who can't save someone important to him; a person who couldn't keep his promise; a person who killed his best friend can never be a hokage." He placed his arms on the table. "These arms which I wanted to save Sasuke killed him instead."

Sakura placed her hands on Naruto's and when the blond tried to pull away, she gripped them. "Don't," she said harshly. "If only it was possible, I wanted both of you alive, but I was aware of the situation. At worst, both of you would die and at best, one of you. Between the two of you, I wanted you to live..." She briefly casted her eyes down in guilt before she continued, "I was relieved that it was him who died. As insensitive as it sounds, as long as you survive, I don't care what happened to Sasuke-kun."

Naruto gave her a small smile. "Thanks, Sakura, for everything." He slipped his hands away because he didn't want to stain her with the crime he committed.

"Naruto, I don't know about Sasuke-kun, but I think, he wanted you to stop him." She remembered the smile on Sasuke's face. "He wanted you and no one else." Naruto shook his head, but Sakura proceeded. "You saved him and just as you promised, you brought him home." Smoothly, she stood up and went to give him a hug. "You kept your promise. No matter what you said, to me, you kept your promise. Thank you."

Naruto hung his head, but remained quiet.

Sakura's gaze drifted forward and because the door to Naruto's room was ajar, she saw something that made her heart clenched painfully.

Naruto inhaled deeply. "S-Sakura..." he trailed off because the words got caught in his throat. It was hard for him to say them that he ended up saying, "I want to eat ramen."

Sakura closed her eyes for few seconds, made sure her voice wouldn't tremble before she offered, "I'll buy you some from Ichiraku."

"That would be great."

The kunoichi slowly slid her arms and stepped away from her friend. On her way to the door, Naruto's voice stopped her.

"Thanks, Sakura-chan." He gave her a sincere boyish smile that broke her heart.

However, she managed to return him a beautiful smile. "You owe me one."

Naruto remained in his seat for quite awhile, making sure that Sakura had really left before he stood up and went to his room. He picked up his bag which he had packed the night before and opened the window of his room.

Without sparing a glance at what he would leave behind, he slipped outside and jumped from one rooftop to another, determined to leave Konoha without breaking his affiliation with it.

Unbeknownst to Naruto, Sakura never went to Ichiraku. The pink-haired kunoichi was standing at his rooftop. Tears were cascading down her cheeks while she watched him, knowing she couldn't stop him and understanding that his stay in the village might end up killing him or drive him crazy. As Naruto grew farther and farther away, she wished nothing, but for his safety and happiness.

Iruka was walking along an alley when Naruto passed over him. For a moment, he blinked owlishly before he resumed walking, as if nothing had happened. However, if one would look closely, one would notice how his shoulders dropped. Inwardly, he grieved for what Team Seven had become and wondered if Kakashi could have done something to prevent his team from being completely broken.

Tsunade swiveled her chair around after Naruto was completely swallowed by the darkness. She knew this was bound to happen especially when the blond had refused the position he coveted since childhood. She thought it was best for Naruto to leave after everything he went through, but she only came up with that opinion after she learned what Sasuke did. Until there was no new member within Akatsuki, Naruto was safe and she had Sasuke to thank for that.

Her honey-brown eyes drifted to a photo of her team and zeroed on Jiraiya.

_He's taking after you._

**END**

Hakke Rokujuuyonshou - Eight Divination Signs, Sixty-Four Palms of the Hand


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